HOW TO CHOOSE AN ACER

Whatever the size of your garden, there’s an acer to suit. This wide-ranging genus includes towering London planes and tiny specimen trees perfect for pots and patios. They’re particularly valuable in autumn, offering colours from reddy purple (Acer palmatum

‘Orange Dream’ and A. p.

‘Bloodgood’), to a rich scarlet (A. p. ‘Dissectum Garnet’) and warm orange (Acer japonicum

‘Aconitifolium’, right). But some are valued for their shape, such as the weeping A. p. ‘Dissectum Ever Red’. Also suitable for pot-growing, it can be clipped into a roundel. A multi-stemmed birch, such as Acer davidii

‘George Forrest’, will give structure to a bed and vistas through its branches to planting beyond. Some maples also have wonderful bark for year-round interest. Examples are the paperbark maple, Acer griseum, which has peeling red bark, the striped maple, Acer pensylvanicum, and Acer capillipes,

with a snakeskin-like bark. A good source of acers is Ornamental Trees (ornamental-trees.co.uk).