PLANT A TREE FOR AUTUMN
A small deciduous tree or large shrub will light up the garden with fiery foliage
The clocks have changed and days are getting shorter but that doesn’t mean your garden should be lacking in colour or interest. A whole host of small trees and large shrubs come into their own at this time of year. Take inspiration from smaller specimen trees at the collections at Westonbirt and Batsford arboreta in Gloucestershire and the Sir Harold Hiller Arboretum and Gardens in Hampshire. Now is a great time to plant large shrubs and small trees. The weather may be getting colder but the soil holds onto summer warmth for longer than the air, so if you plant now and mulch around your new additions with a generous layer of well-rotted organic matter, the roots will have plenty of time to establish before frost penetrates the ground. We’ve picked some lovely trees here, but if you’re really short on space consider shrubs such as Cotinus coggygria, Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ and oak-leaved Hydrangea quercifolia.