Thanks everyone for the responses. Bboy: I've looked up Autumn Embers and it looks like a great one for my purposes. If I don't plant it here, I'll definitely plant it at my next place, in which I hope to have a "Witch Hazel" grove. Whaas: Thanks for the info. My main concern is yellow-gold fall color, although a mix is nice. I'm really trying to get more yellows into the fall scene here, as it seems like everything is cultivated toward the reds when the growers are going for fall color! I'm going to research vernalis more. Mainegrowers and Whaas: Yes, I think I'm finding out that it takes a really good freeze before the color really gets going. I have noticed that most of my fall color comes so late (Grn. Mtn. Sugar Maple colors just before everything dies for winter!) so I'm trying to balance it to get a really long and beautiful (lots of mixed colors) autumnscape. Re: Rare Find: I initially called them but received little help -just read to me, out of a catalogue or something, info. that I could find on my own. I was really looking for info. from people who could give me advice from their own experience. Perhaps I just caught the wrong two people at RFN that day. Nhbabs: You've said some intriguing things. I've always nixed planing Fothergilla as my soil pH is somewhere along the lines of 7.1, but I see azaleas and things growing around here, so perhaps if one plants them with a lot of organic matter and feeds them with some food geared toward acid-prefering plants, it would work. (On that thought, I think WH is an acid prefering tree, so I guess I could try the Fothergilla since I seem to think that WH will work here!) COULD YOU GIVE ME A LITTLE MORE INFO. ON THE BRANCHING HABIT OF VERNALIS VS. VIRGINIANA? Besides fall color, one of the main things that interest me in the garden with shrubs and trees is form. Also, I noted your thoughts on winter die-back, and I do think now that I may go with virginiana or vernalis, at least in this cold garden. Thanks again, everyone! Amy

This is not that unusual. Some rhododendrons also have this fall foliage effect. The nice thing is that since the plant is evergreen, you get it all winter. I believe all 23 varieties of Encore Azaleas have great fall/winter foliage. I can't find a picture of an Encore azalea. Here is a photo of a different azalea in the fall.

Well. thanks everyone! A fascinating lot of information. Jerijen: Actually, I made the decision to have a couple of Teas for other reasons, and the Autumn color question I posted was just out of curiosity, triggered by the Little Wonder show that my poor orphan Dr. Huey put on. Now that I've read all the responses to my query, and seen the gorgeous pictures, I'm thinking how great it would be to have something that would do that in the Fall...I'd love to have a sort of roses-run-wild looking garden, but it's not in the cards. There IS a half-barrel in the front garden, and it makes me think of Anita's suggestion about R. cinnamomea - but we are planning to move up to Sacramento sometime this year (if the Housing Market Gods are willing), and I wouldn't be able to take it with me. Whereas, a couple of pots with small Teas in them is do-able (especially because I'll be getting them in bands this Spring, so they will be very small, from what I've seen). And thanks to all who helped me with info on Mme. Antoine Mari and Devoniensis - now I KNOW I want them!

PJM and Olga both had nice foliage here, though it may be too late by now. I also enjoy the peachy colors of various deciduous azaleas, but all those dropped leaves 2-3 weeks ago.