Shrubs with orange leaf brighten up dark areas of your garden and include dramatic color to your lawn. Some shrubs create leaves that appear with an orange colour while some develop orange leaves throughout the autumn. When deciding upon the shrub to plant, then consider its stature and the requirements of the planting location. For example, low-growing shrubs work well in gardens with limited space.
Low-Growing Shrubs
Several cultivars of barberry, which grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness 4 through 8 at full sunlight, offer breathtaking fall foliage in orange hues and develop less than 3 feet tall. “Gentry” Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea “Gentry”) grows to about two feet tall with green leaves that change to shades of oranges at the autumn. “Monlers” barberry (Berberis thunbergii “Monlers”) attains only 12 inches tall, creating coral-orange foliage that will become combined with golden edges at the autumn.
Medium-Sized Shrubs
“Monhud” spirea (Spiraea x bumalda “Monhud”) is a sun-loving deciduous shrub growing between 3 and 4 ft tall in USDA zones 4 through 9. Its leaves appear with a yellow hue which changes to yellow green as it matures. In the autumn, the leaf becomes a coppery orange color. “Maradco” beauty bush (Kolkwitzia amabilis “Maradco”) is a 6- to 9-foot-tall deciduous shrub growing in USDA zones 4 through 8. Its leaf emerges with a orange coppery hue before switching to a yellow green in spring and summer, and finally gorgeous hues of orange in the autumn.
Big Shrubs
“Ancot” smoketree (Cotinus coggygria “Ancot”) is a deciduous tree which creates impressive fall leaf. It grows in USDA zones 4 through 8, reaching 6 to 10 feet tall. Its gold leaves turn bright shades of orange and crimson in the autumn. “Katsura” Japanese maple (Acer palmatum “Katsura”) grows between ten and twelve feet tall in USDA zones 5 through 9. The yellow leaves of “Katsura” have an orange perimeter but will switch to bright green in the summer. Through the autumn, the leaves change once again to yellow orange. “Velvet Cloak” smoketree (Cotinus coggygria “Velvet Cloak”) grows in USDA zones 5 through 9 with heights of up to 15 feet. “Velvet Cloak” creates dark purple foliage that changes to bright orange and red throughout the autumn season.
Deer-Resistant Shrubs
“Orange Rocket” barberry (Berberis thunbergii “Orange Rocket”) grows three to four feet tall in USDA zones 4 through 9 in full to partial sunlight. The new leaves appear with a bright coral orange colour and deepen to green as it matures. In the autumn, the green leaves switch to ruby red. This deer-resistant shrub is a quick grower at a columnar shape. “Monry” Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii “Monry”) is a compact shrub growing 3 to 4 ft tall in USDA zones 4 to 8. This sun-loving plant contains gold leaf with an orange-colored cast that lasts most of the season.