Bring glorious autumn colours to your garden
Trees are aglow with fiery hues that you can bring to your own garden
With the recent windy weather it may be the end of the beautiful autumnal leaf displays we’ve been enjoying. There are few nicer sights than shafts of brilliant sunlight setting the golden leaves of an autumnal beech tree alight.
However, turbulent winds will shake much of the remaining leaves from the branches and it’ll be a busy time in the garden raking these up. Raking is good vigorous exercise for us, but don’t clear every single leaf as they are a natural habitat for other living things.
The ones you do collect can be heaped in a corner – they’ll make wonderful leaf mould eventually. Mind you, if it’s leaves alone you’re using they can take a year to break down.
Sweep them off your paths before they get slippery underfoot and clear around drain holes so they don’t get blocked.
It’s been a particularly good year for autumn colour and I’ve been
photographing some wonderful specimens in the woodlands on my walks.
Orange beeches, golden larches, red oaks and yellow birches create a warm tapestry across the hills.
When the temperature falls and sunshine hours reduce, deciduous trees respond by ceasing chlorophyll production and start to wind down for winter. As the green pigment of
chlorophyll recedes, others such as orange and yellow carotenoids appear.
Additionally the tree starts to produce anthocyanins which create vibrant crimsons and pinks. Unlike evergreens which have a type of antifreeze in their leaves to survive winter and so can continue to photosynthesise, the deciduous trees cut their losses and drop their leaves to conserve water and energy.
In most gardens we don’t have room for the majestic oak and beeches but there are many smaller trees and shrubs which also put on a fiery display.
In my own plot there are some standout specimens which would be suitable for the average sized garden.
Cotinus ‘Golden Spirit’ is the first golden-leaved cotinus and its leaves are now starting to go red and orange. It’s an easy-going shrub that grows in most soils and can be kept compact with annual pruning.
Starting in spring with beautiful golden leaves, in summer little panicles of puffy flowers appear, giving a hazy effect which gives rise to its common name, the smoke bush.
Japanese maples are lovely slowgrowing trees and can be grown in containers in smaller spaces. I’ve added a few to my collection and I’m enjoying their first autumnal display.
Koto-no-ito is an absolute gem – the name translates from Japanese as harp strings which refers to the delicacy of the long thin dissected leaves which are now a dazzling orange.
Orange Dream is another, now displaying warm coral and deep pink tones. A sheltered spot is best for
Stunning Parrotia Persica – known as the Ironwood tree – comes in a number of different sizes and varieties
these delicate leaves.
There’s real drama from the fiery reds of Parrotia persica, the ironwood tree.
I’ve been growing Vanessa which is a slim upright version suitable for smaller plots.
In its natural form, Parrotia forms a wonderful spreading shape but you’d need a lot of space for it to achieve its potential.
‘Persian Spire’ has a narrow form like Vanessa but is smaller and could be grown in a container.
The foliage goes through several forms from purple in spring, turning green with an purple edge, then red/orange in autumn.
Autumn’s beauty is as fleeting as spring blossoms – so catch it while you can!