Seasonal Landscape Highlights: What Happened to Fall Color in 2025?

Fall 2025 seemed to come and go quietly here in Northern Ohio. Unlike previous years with bright, show-stopping color, many trees displayed muted tones and dropped their leaves quickly. We were surprised by just how fast some trees lost their leaves this season!

The main factors that trigger the chemical changes in leaves that create fall colors are shorter days, cooler nights, and frost. Chlorophyll, the pigment that keeps leaves green, begins to break down, revealing the hidden yellows, oranges, and reds of carotenoids and anthocyanins. A frost or sudden cold can speed up this process, sometimes compressing the colorful display into just a few days.

This year, a moderate to severe drought added to the mix. Trees under stress often shed their leaves quickly as a survival mechanism to conserve water. As a result, many of the gradual changes that reveal vivid fall colors were muted, and some trees went straight to brown and burgundy tones.

Even so, there’s still beauty to be found if you look closely. Some trees and shrubs, like red maples, Japanese maples, sweetgum, and oaks, still showed rich hues, and many smaller plants, including Virginia creeper and sweetspire, provided pockets of brilliant color. Walking through our clients’ gardens this fall, we were delighted by the subtle textures and tones that add so much character, even in a quieter year.

A good fall color show is connected to healthy trees and sufficient moisture, so next year’s display will depend on the growing season and Mother Nature.

As the leaves finish falling, it is a reminder that winter is here. For us at M.J. Design, this time of year means slowing down to rest, clean and organize our shops, refresh our office, and begin designing and building our schedule for 2026 installations. It is also a special time as our crews from Mexico return home to reunite with their families for the holidays. Even as the vibrant colors fade, we are already looking forward to helping our clients create beautiful outdoor spaces for next year.

For those who want to dive deeper into the science behind pigments, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and tannins, check out Purdue’s resource here: Purdue Fall Color Pigments.