Vicksburg is not in the Northeast. But, with planning before planting, fall colors can still pop.

Just last weekend, golden yellow gingkos dazzled the eye along Monroe Street and on the grounds of the Old Court House Museum as cooler temps pushed colors to center stage.

Not to be upstaged, the spring-blooming white dogwoods sport breathtaking leaves of red, purple and orange before red berries are prolific after leaves fall.

Powdery mildew is sometimes a problem in our hot muggy summers but there are several disease-resistant selections available.

Miriam Jabour, a Master Gardener and Master Flower Show judge, has been active in the Openwood Plantation Garden Club for more than 35 years. Write to her at 1114 Windy Lake Drive, Vicksburg, MS 39183.

Maples also are vivid fall landscape stars. Red maples are good choices in areas requiring a large shade tree. Tolerant of many different types of soil, they grow fast and bring rich orange-to-red color.

Small in stature but exquisitely graceful with countless variations in shape and texture, Japanese maples are underused in landscapes according to a February 2007 article in Fine Gardening magazine. There are more than 700 unique cultivars available with most growing to less than 8 feet. Some are larger, including one called Vitifolium that grows to be 30 feet. Once established, Japanese maples are fairly drought-tolerant and quite versatile in the home landscape.

Southern sugar maple is a cousin to Acer saccharium, the sugar maple responsible for brilliant fall color in more Northern growing zones. The Southern sugar maple, Acer barbatum is smaller and not quite as vibrantly colored but withstands the heat and drought beautifully locally and turns yellow to orangy-red in fall.

Tall sweet gums and scarlet oaks appear to glow red in the fall landscape. Those tiny little balls that fall from our native sweet gum irritate some gardeners. Fruitless or near fruitless selections are now available, including Cherokee and Routundiloba.

Summer’s favorite tree, the crepe myrtle, can be noteworthy in fall as well.  Bronze-red foliage on dwarf Chickasaw and reddish-yellow Victor make them ideal choices for a small garden. Acoma, Hopi and Zuni, with their brilliant orange-red to deep- purple fall foliage, work well in tight areas where a small tree is needed but space is limited. Larger selections with dazzling orange-red fall foliage such as Natchez, Tuscarora and Tuskegee can stand tall in beds near a house or along sidewalks and streets.

Shrubs can add color to a fall landscape. Purple-toned barberry and loropetalum are popular accent shrubs that blend well with colorful trees in a fall landscape.  Dwarf and miniature nandinas reinforce fall tones. Native oakleaf hydrangeas become a striking red-bronze-to-burgundy color soon after the flowers dry on the bush. Sumac, a native often seen growing along Mississippi highways, is being used more by landscape designers. The fall color and cutleaf texture of cultivars with restrained growth habit adds interest in informal, less structured landscapes.   Blueberry bushes, best known for tasty fruits, turn shades of red, orange and purple in a fall planting. Acidic soil is needed but blueberries work well in mass plantings, mixed shrub borders, as garden edging and in wildlife friendly landscapes.

Now through early winter is prime time to plant trees and shrubs. Think about adding some selections that will guarantee dependable fall color. Professional landscape designers aim for year-round interest when developing a landscape plan. Home gardeners should follow the same strategy every time they make a permanent addition to their landscape.