I'll be the first to admit I wasn't ready for the recent winter blast.

As the storm swept in, I was glad I had already dug up my summer bulbs, brought in the plants I intended to save, and harvested and safely stored my squash and other crops.

Even with the recent storms, all is not lost. There is still some great color available in gardens, and with proper planning, you can include more in your garden.

Fall color can come from a select group of woody plants. Trees, shrubs and even a few vines can show many autumn colors — even a few blues, pinks and other colors not usually associated with the season.

So while pansies might be offering a little color as they settle in for the winter, it is time to look at fruit, rather than the flowers, to provide your color.

Crabapples are one of the showiest fall fruiting plants.

Just mentioning fruit on a crabapple may strike fear into some. But what you need to look for is a cultivar that has a persistent fruit, meaning the fruit stays on the plant until the birds eat it off in the winter.

In addition to the unwanted fruit on older cultivars, many crabapples were highly susceptible to diseases. Powdery mildew, fire blight and several other problems made them unwanted trees in many landscapes. Fortunately, newer, improved types are much better.

Some of these cultivars have very striking displays. The fruit colors in September and might stay showy until December.

Here are a few that show excellent fruit quantity and color. Remember, the fruit is ornamental, not for eating.

Golden Raindrops has tiny golden yellow, persistent fruits that are relished by cedar waxwings, robins and other birds. Louisa is another yellow-fruited cultivar.

Indian Magic has red-orange half-inch fruits, while Indian Summer has fruits of a similar size that are bright red. Molten Lava has fruit, but it is borne on a tree with a weeping habit. Red Jewel and Red Jade also have similar fruit.

Look for Royalty and Robinson for a darker-red fruit. Sargent has a similar color, but the fruits are about half the size. Prairiefire, Profusion and Thunderchild have half-inch purple-red or maroon fruit.

European mountain ash is another small tree that has colorful, orange-colored fruit clusters. The native shrub form grows in our mountains and has similar fruits.

Two common hawthorns have outstanding fall fruit color. Look for the Washington hawthorn for prolific displays of small, orange fruits that make excellent bird food. The Lavelle hawthorn has a larger orange-red berry that is showy but not as attractive to the birds.