Gill’s autumn plant pleasures

1 Betula utilis var. jacquemontii is a birch that has especially white bark.

2 Dahlia ‘Bishop of Llandaff’ has a depth of colour that lights up autumn gardens.

3 The conical flowerheads of Hydrangea paniculata are elegant even as they fade.

4 Gardener Adrian Miles grows bedding dahlias like this deep pink one from seed.

5 Penstemons are easily propagated from cuttings – which is advisable as they will succumb to frost.

6 Cotinus coggygria adds to autumn’s woodland colour symphony.

7 Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily) is good in mixed borders and lovely as a cut flower. 8 The peeling russet bark of Acer griseum comes to the fore as autumn foliage falls.