# Shade Shrubs & Fall Foliage
Colorful fall foliage is not usually an asset provided by shrubs capable of growing in partial to full shade, but some exist to meet this desire. Those that reliably endow a landscape with attractive autumn leaves come from a variety of shrub families. They achieve varying heights as well and serve different landscaping functions, depending upon the species.
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Types
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Related to the buckeye tree, bottlebrush buckeye grows in the shade and has solid fall color. Leatherwood, disanthus, Korean rhododendron and the Umpqua Queen hybrid of deciduous azalea do as well. Bigleaf hydrangea cultivars Robert and Monrey develop in shade and then reward you with fall splendor. Hydrangea hybrids like Preziosa and Golden Sunlight are types of shrubs for shade and late season color. The azalea cultivar Homebush has what the Missouri Botanical Garden calls "excellent" fall foliage effect.
Size
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Golden Sunlight and Preziosa grow between 2 and 4 feet, making them small enough for multiple purposes around a property or yard. Umpqua Queen remains less than 4 feet high, as does the Monrey bigleaf hydrangea selection. Cornell Pink is a type of Korean rhododendron growing to 8 feet, while leatherwood and disanthus approach 6 and 10 feet tall respectively. The bottlebrush buckeye hybrid named Rogers sometimes matures to be 20 feet high.
Features
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Before the bottlebrush buckeye's foliage change to yellow in autumn, it produces spikes of white flowers all summer long in shady spots. The Robert bigleaf hydrangea features reddish-bronze leaves in the fall. Yellow is the theme for Umpqua Queen; this azalea has yellow flowers and its greenish-yellow leaves go to bronze-yellow come fall. Disanthus displays a doubleheader of fall color, with its purple flowers blooming in October and its leaves changing to shades of red, purple and orange around the same time.
Growing Conditions
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The level of shade these species tolerate differs from one to another. For example, disanthus withstands planting in full shade, while Umpqua Queen grows best in an area receiving partial shade, or morning sun and afternoon shade. The hydrangea shrubs such as Preziosa only grow in full sun if constantly given water, making partly shady sites ideal. Bottlebrush buckeye grows in the wild in woodlands, making it amenable to partly shady to very shaded sites. Of all these shrubs, only leatherwood is appropriate for growing in a climate with winters as cold as USDA Plant Hardiness zone 3.
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