There are some amazing foliage colours lighting up the landscape at this time of year, as the leaves turn from green to yellows, glowing oranges and vibrant reds. These are due to both the temperature and daylight hours reducing, which in turn stops plants producing so much food and the chlorophyll in the leaves then breaks down, exposing pigments other than green in plant leaves (carotenes and xanthophyll producing orange and anthocyanin pigments producing red)*.

Autumn Colour

Travelling to see stunning displays has become very popular, particularly in the eastern part of the United States (a visit to New England in the fall is on many wish-lists), southern areas of Canada or north and eastern provinces of China and Japan. Closer to home the UK has many public gardens and arboretums that put on impressive displays of colour, whether to enjoy the colours or provide inspiration for plants to add to a garden. In Yorkshire we are blessed with several amazing gardens and arboretums to take advantage of, from Thorp Perrow and Castle Howard (whether visiting the arboretum or Ray Wood in Castle Howard grounds with the stunning acers display) to Harlow Carr and many others.

Autumn Trees

Acers produce some of the most amazing displays, including many smaller trees suitable for gardens, Acer palmatum ‘Osakazuki’ is one of the smaller varieties with leaves that turn orange through to scarlet red, great for lighting up a partially shaded area or planted against a dark green hedge. Acer palmatum ‘Winter Flame’ (Coral Bark Japanese maple), is even smaller (growing to 3 metres high with a spread of 2 metres over 20 years) and has coral coloured bark with golden coloured leaves and corral coloured veins and tips. Or Acer palmatum ‘Beni Maiko’ with bright pink/red leaves that turn green in summer and finally orange and red in autumn.

Autumn Leaves

Crab apples work even harder providing all year round interest, from the blossom in spring to the brightly coloured leaves in autumn and the fruits that remain in winter until the birds eat them. Malus ‘John Downie’ with its white flowers in spring, yellow to bright orange leaves in autumn followed by the orange and red fruits or Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’ with its pink tinged flowers, leaves that turn yellow in autumn followed by red fruits that will last into winter (or at least until the birds have eaten them all). Where space is at a premium, crab apples can be walled train or pleached allowing room for flowers to be planted in front of or underneath them.

Autumn Fruit

Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’ known as the Spindle tree is another stunning tree, often used as part of a native mixed hedge scheme, with leaves that turn scarlet and orange and pink winged fruits that continue after the leaves fall.

The katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) not only provides autumn colour with its leaves turning yellow (often turning orange and red on more acidic soils) but gives off wafts of burnt sugar while wandering round the garden.

* for a great blog article on the science behind autumn colours http://thechromologist.com/colour-science-autumn-leaves/