By Jim McCausland, Sunset Magazine

It's astonishing how much trees can vary in fall color. Two laceleaf Japanese maples, both photographed on the same day last week, make my point. I grow both in same-size containers, same exposure, same care. In summer, both are green, mushroom-shaped beauties that grow in pots on my deck and patio. But in autumn, only one—'Emerald Lace' (above)—is worth having. Its color is red and clean. The other (below) is an unnamed laceleaf whose autumn leaves turn dull green, go crisp at the ends, and drop. 

You see the same principle at work in liquidambars and other deciduous trees grown for fall color, though not to the same extent. The lesson: when you choose trees for fall color, buy them only in fall so you see exactly what you're getting, or buy from a reliable mail-order source (I got my 'Emerald Lace' from Mendocino Maples).