Garden Design Tips – Enjoying Autumn Colour

Autumn leaves

The most successful gardens are those that look beautiful and hold their interest and use all year round. While all gardeners should think about how they can feed themselves and their family using their garden space, it is also a good idea to combine practical aspects with the more aesthetic elements of design. Enjoying autumn colour in a garden is one of the joys of the gardening year. The beautiful hues of changing foliage and the fallen leaves can be a delight, especially if you have designed with autumn in mind. Here are some tips to help you enjoy autumn colour in your garden:


Trees To Choose For Autumn Colour


Beech leavesPlenty of deciduous trees look wonderful in the autumn months. But here are some spectacular examples that are sure to enhance your garden in the autumn season:


  • Beech Tree (Fagus sylvatica) – If you have a large garden, a specimen beech tree could be a spectacular addition. Of course, you could also have a beech hedge, if space is a little more limited. Combine beech with other hedging plants for a more interesting and aesthetically pleasing effect.
  • Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) – These small, colourful trees are perfect for all gardens – even acerthe very smallest of spaces. They can even be grown in containers.
  • Gingko Biloba – Tall and sprawling, this golden option could make a larger garden glow, though may grow too big for smaller spaces. 'Autumn Gold' is a particularly spectacular variety.
  • Spindle (Euonymous europaeus) – these trees have beautiful reddish and yellow foliage and lovely red fruits. They will grow up to 4m in height and so can look great even in medium-sized
  • gardens.
  • Japanese Mahonia
  • Perennial Shrubs to Choose for Autumn Colour:


Again, there are plenty of shrubs that will bring lovely autumn colour to your garden. Some lovely examples include:


  • Japanese mahonia (Mahonia Japonica) – Never growing higher than around 1.5m tall, these shrubs are perfect for smaller gardens. They have beautiful flowers and foliage in the autumn months.
  • Disanthus (Disanthus cercidifolius) – The beautiful red-hued leaves of this shrub in autumn are as vibrant as they come.
  • Amelanchia – there are a range of amelanchias that are great for autumn colour, including A x grandiflora 'Autumn-Brilliance' which has a particularly beautiful red shade.


There are, of course, many more exciting options. So whatever size and shape your garden, and no matter what the weather, soil conditions and other defining elements may be, you will be able to find colourful autumn options that work where you live.