Last to lose leaves in Autumn?

We just removed two really big evergreens that were too close to the house.
One was a cedar and the other was a spruce with 3 'leaders'--either Colorado or Norway, not sure.

Now I want to plant some nice shade trees a little farther away and I really prefer to plant something native.
Which of the natives holds on to leaves longest in the Autumn?

I like Red Maples, Pin Oak, Willow Oak, etc., but I want something good for native wildlife and something that will hold on to it's leaves as long as possible.

(And hopefully, On December 26th we'll scoop up some bargain evergreens to plant out, too!)

If anyone knows of a good online tree reference/s, please let me know--I have a copy of Landscaping With Native Trees, which is really helpful, but we moved this Summer and I still haven't unearthed it!

Thanks very much,
Teresa
(zone 7, Maryland)

By definition, native trees and shrubs fall drop is earlier than nearly all European and Asian counterparts. So the first thing to realize is that there are no deciduous natives that will hold leaves as long as other late droppers you might see in the landscapes around you.

Some oaks will hold a portion of their leaves (dead, brown and dried) in the canopy into and/or through the winter. I am not familiar with those that grow in your area, so I can't advise.

Other than that, the only other thing I can say is what not to grow - Kentucky Coffee tree. They drop leaves fairly early in the native realm, and leaf out very late in the spring. I love these trees, and have them planted on the south and west side of my house for that very reason. They are part of my "landscaping for energy efficiency" program. Since they drop early when it is cool out, my house can take full advantage of the sun (not being shaded anymore) and use the sun's free energy to heat the house. Likewise in the spring, my house uses the sun's energy for the longest period possible in the early, cool part of that season.

White oak(Q.alba) seems to color up kinda late.

Curious, why "By definition"??

Resin

American Beech often hold their leaves all winter. The old leaves only fall when the new ones start. Otherwise Oak hold their leaves late, it seems to me Northern Red Oak is one of the latest but as their leaves are a rather uninteresting red brown I would not reccommend them for decorative purposes. The Beech leaves turn an ivory color and whisper in the wind. In answer to what you did not ask, witch hazel actually blooms in the winter, but this is more of a bush than a tree I suppose.

It occurred to me that although I answered your question I did not necessarily give you good advice. If you have a small yard American Beech is probably not a good choice in the long run. The tree is attractive it has smooth grey bark and grows fast. It is a little messy in that it produces lots of nuts that are good to eat, but ususally the birds or squirrels get them first and leave the shells all over. There are a couple of things that make it a bad choice for a small yard. The wood is rather weak so the tree tends to get heart rot (becoming hollow in the center) and also to drop branches. This makes it a good den tree for wild life but you would not want it near your house. You could plant one and cut it down every 20 years as it got old I suppose. The other thing is that the tree reproduces itself by suckers so that if you have one pretty soon others would start popping up. If you have several acres, however I think beech would be nice. But it is the only deciduous tree growing here that's leaves stay on all winter.

Thanks everyone--I really appreciate all the suggestions and information on issues that I hadn't thought of.

White Oak is a great idea (I grew up not far from the 'Wye Oak'--it was an annual school trip), so that's going on my list.

We have a couple acres, and it's fairly wild and natural in the back, except for the English Ivy and Oriental Bittersweet--I've pulled that stuff until my hands were too tired to continue. Ugh.

American Beech would probably do well in back, and I like the idea of the nuts and nooks--I'll add that to my list as well.

(The late leaf-drop is a consideration because then I can plant some trees closer to the pool that will have visual interest but not fill it with leaves before we close it).

My husband like Japanese Maples, but he 'leaves' the final yard/garden decisions to me, and as long as I plant a tree or two with bright fall color he'll be happy.

Thanks again,
Teresa
(zone 7, Maryland)

Another tree that hangs on to it's leaves is the Florida Maple (Acer barbatum). It's similar to the Sugar maple, but is more heat tolerant and doesn't get quite as large. It turns a copper orange color in the fall.

"By definition" meaning native. Maybe I'm wrong, Resin. Can you name some native trees that hold live leaves late? I already mentioned holding dead leaves, like oak, and you could add ironwood to that list too. By definition of native, meaning natives shut down for winter earlier than non-natives in general. Is this a phenomenon that hold true for only my northerly region?

Yep, though I'd doubt that it even holds fully true where you are - try some non-natives from northern Asia or Alaska, and I'd bet they'd drop their leaves even before your local natives.

Around here, the earliest to drop are some non-native species, e.g. Prunus sargentii, Acer saccharinum, close to a month before most local natives drop theirs. The last deciduous trees to drop leaves here (Cotoneaster frigidus in January, Alnus cordata in early December, Quercus cerris in late Nov) aren't native, but equally, Ilex aquifolium (which is native) doesn't drop its leaves in winter at all.

Bottom line is, there's no relationship between leaf fall date and whether it is native in an area or not. There is between leaf fall date and climate, but that isn't the same.

Resin (55°N latitude ;-)

Well, I do have Spirea betulifolia, from seed collected in western Siberia by a friend. It colors later than all the natives here, as does Lonicera caerulea, which although from northern Asia, it could be coastal, or even from an island. Also Forsythia mandshurica colors late for me. (Just assuming northern Asia on that one.) Larix rusica, don't remember, but it certainly does color earlier than natives here. But still . . .

. . . what you say here only makes sense. Thanks Resin.