Get Ahead For Autumn

Now’s the time to start planning for autumn. From berrying shrubs to autumnal foliage, here’s how to inject a blaze of colour into containers and borders

- Wendy Humphries

BERRIES AND LEAVES FOR BIRDS

Summer is far from over, but before long, misty mornings will arrive to mark the start of a new and exciting season. Spectacular beeches and maples will erupt into flaming canopies and hedgerows will be laden with fruits.

In our gardens, there are opportunities to add sparkle in containers and borders even in the tiniest plot, using compact trees, perennials and shrubs with colourful berries or leaves.

So what plants will become a talking point? Dazzling in asunny border, winged spindle (Euonymus alatus) turns a shocking red before leaf fall, and pink and orange fruit drips from the branches into winter; ‘Compactus’ is the best variety for a smaller space at just 90cm tall.

Shrubs that hold their berries and hips, such as pyracantha, cotoneaster and hollies, are not only low maintenance, but the local birds will thank you when the weather turns cold. Where space is at a premium, Berberis ‘Red Pillar’ is a useful upright shrub that glows with red berries at summer’s end.