Fall for Color

Visiting the Garden is a different experience – every season, every time, for everyone.

Fond of fall foliage? Come to the Garden to delight in the season’s pageant of rich colors and tantalizing textures. With its one-of-a-kind Asian Woodland full of a gorgeous array of various deciduous trees and perennials – many of which are rare and endangered – the North Bay’s only botanic garden is one of the most unique places in Sonoma Valley to experience autumn.

Ginkgos shift from green to luminous gold. Maples steep visitors in red, orange, yellow, and crimson. The Japanese Cherry Birch sports a halo of amber, and Beautyberry’s bright purple clusters pop against blankets of yellow.

The parade of colors can be dazzling, but fleeting, so follow the Garden on social media for alerts about must-see color this fall.

Garden Calendar

Blooms and seasonal features are always weather dependent. Scroll to explore some of this season’s stars and typical start of their bloom times. For the most up-to-date information, follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share your tips and photos from your Garden adventures with #SonomaBGBloom.

Seasonal Stars

While enjoying the Garden you may notice stars on some of the plant labels. These are plants expected to shine this season!

Early Fall

Sep – Oct

Trident Maple (Acer buergerianum) — **Trident Maple**
*Acer buergerianum*

Acer palmatum — **Trident Maple**
*Acer buergerianum*

Japanese Beautyberry (Callicarpa japonica) — **Japanese Beautyberry**
*Callicarpa japonica*

Ginger Lily (Hedychium spicatum var. acuminatum) — **Japanese Beautyberry**
*Callicarpa japonica*

Amur Maple (Acer tataricum ssp. ginnala) — **Amur Maple**
*Acer tataricum* ssp. *ginnala*

Wilson's Barberry (Berberis wilsoniae) — **Amur Maple**
*Acer tataricum* ssp. *ginnala*

Mid Fall

Oct – Nov

Tea Plant (Camellia sinensis) — **Tea Plant**
*Camellia sinensis*

Okinawan Holly (Ilex dimorphophylla) — **Tea Plant**
*Camellia sinensis*

Evergreen Dogwood (Cornus capitata) fruit — **Evergreen Dogwood**
*Cornus capitata*

Chinese Sumac (Rhus chinensis) — **Chinese Sumac**
*Rhus chinensis*

Willowleaf Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster salicifolius) — **Chinese Sumac**
*Rhus chinensis*

Late Fall

Nov – Dec

Grantham's Camellia (Camellia granthamiana) flower with bee — **Grantham’s Camellia**
*Camellia granthamiana*

Anemone sp. — **Grantham’s Camellia**
*Camellia granthamiana*

Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) — **Japanese Barberry**
*Berberis thunbergii*

Iigiri Tree (Idesia polycarpa) — **Japanese Barberry**
*Berberis thunbergii*

Cut-leaf Crabapple (Malus toringoides) — **Cut-leaf Crabapple**
*Malus toringoides*

Five Lobed Maple (Acer pentaphyllum) fall color — **Cut-leaf Crabapple**
*Malus toringoides*

Shop these Picks

Before or after your visit, peruse the Welcome Center for a terrific selection of changing, seasonal, mission-aligned items, including the ones featured here.

Handmade in San Francisco
Everything Ky & I clay earrings

Handmade in Sonoma County
Rustic Bakery Shortbread

Socially Good & Sustainable
Cognitive Surplus Mugs

Socially Good & Sustainable
Silk Road Bazaar Ornaments

Your dollars make a difference! By shopping locally you’re reducing your carbon footprint and supporting your community. By using your purchasing power to buy products that are environmentally conscious and socially good, you’re supporting sellers that value our planet and pressuring other manufacturers to do the same.

It can take a lot of work to research brands and companies that align with your values, but the Garden’s gift shop team does that work for you! Our buying philosophy centers on the Garden’s mission and prioritizes local, eco-friendly, and fair trade vendors with minimal plastic packaging and ethical production practices. Plus, dollars spent in the gift shop helps keep the Garden healthy and thriving.