For peak color to develop, leaves require warm, sunny days, cool, frosty nights and adequate moisture. Occasionally, we will experience a fall that doesn't provide the necessary light frosts to develop color before a killing frost occurs. Once you have the right plant, the vividness of the color will be influenced by the weather. Some varieties of trees and shrubs are famous for their color. Sugar maples turn various vibrant shades of orange and red.
Gingko leaves are an absolutely incredible yellow.
Winged euonymus is commonly called burning bush because of its intense red fall color. Nannyberry viburnum turns an rich purple color. And then there are other varieties that simply seem to fade or turn brown. Within a given variety of plant, there can be a lot of variation of fall color. One of the best ways to insure you will get exactly what you want is to visit the garden center in the fall to select your tree.