Zone 9 has typically a mild winter and very warm summer seasons. Shrubs and trees for this area need to be able to take the heat. For those looking to supplement their landscape with shrubs or trees that give an interesting fall effect or have changing leaf colors, there are some good starter choices to try.
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Musclewood, or Carpinus caroliniana, grows 50 feet high and 40 feet wide with the best conditions but more typically will get 20 feet high. Leaves are blue-green on the topside while the bottoms have a yellow-green color. Bracts are on stalks and start green and age to yellow-brown. In the fall, leaves turn yellow, orange, red, and red-purple. Plant a musclewood in shade or sun with well-drained soil. Propagate by seed. It is hardy from zones 3B to 9.
The Japanese persimmon, or Diospyros kaki, grows 30 feet high with large leaves that go from bronze to gold and then orange-red through the seasons. Fruits are orange and edible. Plant a Japanese persimmon in well-drained soil with a bit of acidity with full sun conditions. Propagate by grafting. It will be hardy anywhere between USDA zone 7 through 9.
White ash, or Fraxinus americana, grows up to 40 to 60 feet high with a 40 feet wide crown. Leaves have compound leaves that are opposite and have a point to the tip. Flowers are in clusters, without petals, and are not showy. Plant a white ash in full sun with a neutral or alkaline soil. Propagate with seed or grafting. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9.
Sweet pepperbush, or Clethra alnifolia, grows up to 8 feet high with white flowers in clusters. Leaves are green and turn a gold-yellow with sweetly smelling five-petal flowers. Plant a sweet pepperbush in acidic soil with full sun or shade. Propagate the sweet pepperbush by stem cuttings and root mass division. It is hardy through zones 4 and 9.
Oakleaf hydrangea, or Hydrangea quercifolia, grows up to 10 feet high with a wider spread. Leaves are green and turn red, purple and bronze later in the season. Flowers are on clusters and go from white to pink in the mid-season and rust-brown in the latter season. Plant an oakleaf hydrangea in partial or full shade in limey soil. Propagate by clump division or tip cuttings. It is hardy in USDA hardiness zones 5 through 9.
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