PLANTS FOR AN AUTUMN DISPLAY

Scarlet firethorn, Pyracantha coccinea, is a semi-evergreen shrub that produces bright scarlet berries in autumn, which are loved by the birds. It can be easily trained onto a cane support, wall or fence.

Hedera helix is a trailing shrub, with small, lightly patterned, mauve-tinged leaves in winter. Smaller ivy plants are ideal for containers, but need to mature for their pollen and berries to be an essential food source for wildlife during autumn and winter, when food is scarce.

Cyclamen hederifolium ‘Album’, is an autumn flowering cyclamen that bears clusters of snowy white flowers from October, followed by beautifully marbled leaves.

Checkerberry, Gaultheria procumbens, is a dwarf evergreen shrub, with rounded, aromatic leaves, when crushed, that change to a reddish hue in winter. The bell-shaped, pale pink flowers are followed by scarlet berries in autumn. The shrub works particularly well in containers.

Erica carnea f. alba ‘Springwood White’, has racemes of urn-shaped, white flowers in autumn and winter, which are distinctive against the green foliage. The plant produces nectar for pollinators on mild winter days.