Autumn splendour is always the grand finale of the growing season, as leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange and deep red, while berries provide further interest - and not just for the birds.
By Hannah Stephenson
So, if you are now looking out on a bare garden with little colour, think about the ornamentals you could plant to add some pizzazz to the scene and contrast well with each other.
Autumn colour shows up best with a solid, dark background such as conifers and evergreen shrubs, so bear this in mind when planning.
Trees should be used carefully so that their effect is a highlight rather than just a small part of a busy planting scheme. Green is still the most important colour in the garden and should therefore be the most prevalent, so don't overdo it with bright-leafed plants or the effect will not be restful.
The ornamental cherry (Prunus sargentii) is a wonderful specimen whose young leaves are red, turning to dark green. In early autumn they become brilliant orange-red and finally a deep red. The leaves don't drop at the first hint of frost, but last longer on the tree.
A smaller tree is the Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica), which grows to eight metres and whose leaves turn to a patchwork of orange, bright red and purple-red in autumn, although it needs acid soil for good leaf colour.
Combine trees and shrubs of different hues.
The rich, deep reds and burgundies of Japanese maples such as Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood' contrast beautifully with the yellowing leaves of silver birch, while Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengi) provide additional warmth with their bright orange, lantern-shaped fruits, ideally in a large shrub border in a woodland setting.
Plant perennials such as bearded irises at the front of the display for structural foliage from spring to autumn, and for flower colour earlier in the year.
If you don't have room to add more plants to your borders, select a Japanese maple in a pot for warm autumn colour. Choose a container at least 30cm in diameter and a compost comprising equal parts John Innes No 2 potting compost and a soil-less multipurpose compost. Add lots of drainage material in the base of the pot and top-dress the compost with gravel.
Ideal specimens for a pot include A palmatum dissectum 'Garnet', whose leaves open bright red and then deepen to a rich garnet colour. This deciduous acer is very slow growing - up to 1.8m in 10 years - and looks great alongside a pond or in an ornamental planter.
Acers should be grown in moist but well-drained soil. The foliage colour is best in dappled shade, although full sun can be tolerated.
Shrubs can also provide dazzling foliage tints and flowers. Look out for Euonymus alatus, the spindle bush, which is a world away from the compact, variegated evergreen forms we use for shady gardens and winter hanging baskets. This one is deciduous, but produces spectacular autumn colour, producing a molten crimson display. It is medium-sized, fitting into most gardens.
Other good choices for autumn colour include Hebe 'Autumn Glory', which produces purple bottle-brush flowers which can last until Christmas, and the oak-leafed hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), whose leaves turn purple in autumn and hang on to the plant for ages.
If you have a wall which looks bare in the cooler months, train a colourful pyracantha along it, such as P 'Orange Glow', which produces clusters of sizzling orange autumn berries and white spring flowers. This evergreen shrub has a vigorous, dense and spiny habit and can also be planted as a barrier hedge. Train it like a cordon, and in years to come it will reward you (and the birds) with masses of colourful berries.
Other shrubs with colourful autumn fruits include Berberis x carminea 'Pirate King', Callicarpa bodinieri var giraldii 'Profusion' and Cotoneaster salicifolius 'Rothschildianus'.
Autumn in the garden can truly be the firework display before the more muted tones of winter set in.
Best of the bunch - Cotinus
Commonly known as the smoke bush because of its fluffy plumes of pale pink flowers which appear above the foliage in summer, producing a smoke-like haze, this deciduous shrub is a must for the autumn garden.
You need a fair amount of space as it can become the size of a small tree, so grow it as a stand-alone specimen or in a large shrub border in sun or light shade, in moist but well-drained, moderately fertile soil.
Good choices include C 'Flame', whose oval, light green leaves turn brilliant orange-red in autumn, and C coggygria 'Royal Purple', grown for its purple foliage, whose leaves turn orange and red in autumn before falling.
Good enough to eat - Broad beans
Broad beans have been chosen by the National Trust as one of the top-three veg to grow in winter, as part of its Food Glorious Food campaign aimed at encouraging the next generation to grow their own.
Sowing at this time of the year means they won't be attacked by pests, while children love picking them and eating them straight from the pod - a great way to get them eating vegetables.
Only attempt autumn sowing if your plot is sheltered, free-draining and in a mild area - and choose a hardy variety. For all other locations it's better to sow under cloches in early spring. Early beans can be harvested from May onwards.
They aren't too fussy about soil requirements, but will do better if well-rotted organic matter is dug into the ground before planting.
Sow seeds individually at a depth of 5cm with a dibber or pencil, 23cm apart in small blocks or double rows. Aim for a series of successional sowings of around 10 seeds and, if you sow your beans in autumn, delay the first spring sowing until the weather has warmed up enough for the autumn beans to have put on some strong growth.
As they grow, stake plants to bamboo canes - when the young beans appear at the base, pinch out the growing tips, nipping off the top of the stem with two pairs of leaves attached.
Harvest the beans before they become starchy, removing the pods from the base of the plant first and working upwards.
Good varieties include 'Aquadulce Claudia', which can be sown outdoors in autumn if the soil is still warm.
As part of its campaign, the National Trust will mark the start of the winter growing season with a series of events including winter vegetable workshops and cookery demonstrations. See www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk for more details.
Three ways to... prevent wind scorch
1. Plant vulnerable shrubs in the shelter of deciduous hedges, which filter the wind. Dense evergreen hedges and walls may simply deflect the wind and cause damaging turbulence elsewhere.
2. Mulch the soil around plants to reduce the drying effect of the wind.
3. Place container-grown plants against a sheltered house wall, but be careful to avoid wind tunnels.
What to do this week
:: Cut out loganberry and blackberry cans that have finished cropping, and tie in new ones to the support framework.
:: Protect cauliflower curds by bending two or three leaves over them.
:: Start heating the greenhouse at night to protect tender plants if frost is threatened.
:: Make new lawns from turf.
:: Examine pears in store every few days, and eat them as soon as they are ripe.
:: Shelter pot-grown strawberries from heavy rain.
:: Cut down the top growth of dahlias when it is blackened by frost, then lift and dry the tubers for storage.
:: Remove half-hardy fuchsias from the garden and from containers, and put them in pots to overwinter under cover.
:: Wrap containers of potted acers with horticultural fleece to stop the compost freezing and protect the plant.
:: Continue to clear fallen leaves, and recycle them to make leafmould.
:: Take hardwood cuttings of roses and root outdoors.
:: Cut down faded border perennials and lightly fork the soil between them.
:: Dig up and store gladiolus corms.
:: Finish lifting potatoes, leaving them on the surface of the soil for a couple of hours to dry out, or in a greenhouse if it's damp. they must be dry before putting them into storage.
