Plant Hardiness Zones. Plant hardiness zones help gardeners understand which plants will most likely survive at a location. It is important that your plants can thrive year-round, surviving extreme temperatures. Note: Zone maps do have shortfalls; if the information is inaccurate, you may live in a microclimate.
In normal years, colors peak in the first week of October on the U.P., the second week of October in northern Lower Michigan and the last two weeks of October in southern Lower Michigan. When the colors do peak, here are some of the best bets for fall foliage viewing from Pure Michigan:
Even sumac is still green. This summer's rain is causing some leaves to drop early, especially yellow poplars. However, sourwoods and dogwoods are turning red and sweetgum are turning purple. We expect the best fall color to come in a few weeks since peak is usually around the end of October or early November..