Plant palette
Top row, left to right:
ASTERS, now called symphyotrichum, flower from late summer and peak in October. Plant in a sunny, airy position among other late-season perennials and grasses. Cut back hard after flowering.
NERINE BOWDENII grows outdoors in a warm, sunny, protected spot. Provides attractive edging beside paths or at the front of a border.
CHRYSANTHEMUMS, the hardy varieties, will keep blooming through November when other flowers fade. Autumnal colours work best in the garden and they are ideal for containers. Grow in open, sunny spots in soil with organic matter added when planting. Cut back to the ground in December.
Second row, left to right:
CYCLAMEN HEDERIFOLIUM are hardy tuberous perennials that flower through autumn and winter. Lovely naturalised under trees or on shady banks, in well-drained, moderately fertile, humus-rich soil.
CALLICARPA BODINIERI VAR. GIRALDI ‘PROFUSION’,
the beauty berry, is a deciduous shrub grown for its clusters of bright purple shiny fruits and tinted autumn leaf colour. They do best in dappled shade in a woodland scene or backdrop in a shrub border, where their jewels can be admired.
AMPELOPSIS BREVIPEDUNCULATA is a deciduous vine with unusual shiny fruits of pink, purple and blue fruit in autumn. Grow on a trellis or train on a wall, in part shade to sun in fertile well-drained soil.
Sun will result in the best berries.
Third row, left to right:
CORNUS KOUSA is a small tree with edible fruit that resemble strawberries. Grow in sun or part shade in moist, well-drained soil. Discard rind and seeds to enjoy the soft pulp, which resembles a persimmon.
PHYSALIS wrap their berries in ornamental papery lanterns, which can be left on the plant to admire or harvested and dried for indoor arrangements. Hardy, they are good in containers as, like mint, they can spread in garden beds.
FOTHERGILLA MAJOR are popular shrubs for their low-maintenance, fragrant white spring flowers, and vibrant autumn colouring of purple, red, orange and yellow. Plant in a sunny spot in a rich, moist, well-drained soil, and don’t prune the plants as it spoils their natural shape.
Bottom row, left to right:
NYSSA are trouble-free, small-to-medium-sized trees that colour brilliantly. They prefer moist, rich soils in a sheltered spot with full sun to part shade. Their flowers attract bees and other insects.
PARROTIA PERSICA is a very ornamental tree, with flowers on bare stems in winter, attractive bark and lustrous spring foliage, which then turns orange, red and purple in autumn. It is tolerant of most soils and grows in sun to part shade.
LIQUIDAMBAR turn a kaleidoscope of colours from their tough maple-like leaves. They need full sun for the best colour and are one of the last to drop. Plant them where there is plenty of space and in fertile, well-drained soil.