By nice color do you mean leaves changing colors?

Right. I'm looking for plants that will help provide a sense of fall. We have some heavenly bamboo that helps but I've had a hard time getting that grow on western exposures. It might work in this case since the area I'm thinking of borders my lawn. I also just recently planted a Chinese pistache.

Thanks for any help.

By the way, I should mention that I live in Scottsdale.

How about plums and burning bush? Don't know how they do here though. This time of year I really miss cooler climates with fall colors.

rogers red grape - the leaves turn a pretty red. Only reason I planted one, don't care about the grapes, I let the birds have them. It's not a shrub of course but a vine. Just an idea.

Vermont Expatriate missing fall colors.....hmmmm, looking at that link, I think I need more of them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roger's Red

Not exactly a shrub, but I ran into the Montezuma cypress in a video New Mexico University web site. An evergreen that becomes bronze color in the fall and drops it's needles. I've never seen one in Phoenix, but it seems like it would grow here. On the other hand I've never seen one here.

I've been known to use trees as shrubs until they get too big, chop them down and plant another. That also works well for water use.

Thanks for the replies folks.

I'm not sure if burning bush would work here due to the high heat and this particular area will get afternoon sun during the summer. It really would be a pretty addition to the yard though.

Roger's Red will not work for me either. I have two dogs and grapes (and raisins) can acute renal failure in dogs.

Thanks for the suggestions though!