They're native here and the fall color is pretty non-existant.

There are a lot of variables that go into fall color so nothing is guaranteed but I can tell you that both of my redbuds get excellent fall color. I wouldn't describe it as a buttery yellow but more of a fluorescent chartreuse color. It's an unusual color for the fall which is why I like it. In my case, they are surrounded by an October Glory and Red Sunset maple and a large Tupelo that usually turns orange so they combination of colors is striking. All of them have a backdrop of a forest of Eastern White Pine which accentuates the colors even more.

Your latitude is close to mine. I think you have a decent chance of seeing some good fall color.

tree oracle what type of soil do you have?

Lacey as you mention maybe your area is one of those which reports the inconsistent, variable fall color.

oracle, I called a different nursery and they mentioned the fall color you described.

They said its fairly consistent.

Hmmm...now the decision, do I plant a Redbud in lieu of the Malus Sugar Tyme I was going to get?

My soil is very sandy and infertile. However, I've added a fair amount of compost to the hillside where the redbuds are planted. I just threw it on top of the existing soil and didn't mix it in. The earthworms have taken care of that. It's amazing in just a few years how much richer the soil is in appearance than before. The redbuds are really taking to it. One of them has leaves that are four or five times the normal size of a redbud leaf. I think the compost has really done wonders for their bloom show, too. It was awesome last spring. I'm surprised to read all of the negative comments about redbuds in this forum. It's a native tree with multiseasonal interest and I've never had a single problem with them.

Adding compost to your hillside sounds promising. I have a sloped area with poor soild in which I just added compost this fall.

Hoping the Paniculatas will respond like your Redbuds did.