Adding Autumn Colour To Any Garden Size

Adding Autumn Colour To Any Garden Size

Autumn is upon us with its rich berry colours and golden hues. Gardens can go two ways, looking scruffy as plants reach the end of their lifecycle or boldly embracing the vibrancy of autumn leaves and berries. Many trees and shrubs excel when it comes to autumn colours, so here are our top picks.

For small gardens

Japanese Maples are renowned for spectacular autumn colours, spanning purples, reds, oranges and yellows. Many varieties are slow-growing and perfectly proportioned for smaller gardens.

'Garnet' and 'Ever Red' are both popular choices and for good reason with their feathery, dissected leaves turning bright scarlet in autumn. For something a little more unusual, 'Winter Flame' has fiery coloured foliage in autumn, followed by coral-red bare stems in winter.

When space is limited

Upright and columnar trees are a great space-saving choice.

For berries, the aptly named 'Autumn Spire' is a columnar Rowan tree featuring yellow berries and red autumn leaves. For spring blossom and autumn leaves, we recommend upright Cherry Blossom trees such as 'Amanogawa'. The tallest of the pick, Swedish Aspen 'Erecta' reaches a height of 8 metres and just 1 metre in width. Its heart-shaped foliage turns shades of orange, yellow and red in the autumn.

Making a statement in medium to large gardens

Sweet Gum trees, Red Maple trees and Persian Ironwood trees arguably have the best autumn foliage displays. Favourites include Red Maple 'October Glory' and Sweet Gum 'Worpleson', although you really can't go wrong with any of the varieties.

When you can go big, Red Oak and Ginkgo biloba make a dramatic statement.

For more ideas, visit our Autumn trees category.