Top of the trees

Autumn is the best season, as everyone knows. Literally nothing beats a red leaf. So while we’ve got plants in the planting plan for every month of the year (obviously), it’s the autumn-interest ones I’m most excited about. Imagine sitting amongst this lot on a crisp, sunny October morning:

Rhus typhina (Stag’s Horn Sumach)

I’ve been obsessed with these for a while – I used to walk past a one every day several years ago and was totally in love with it in the autumn. Then my mother-in-law bought me one for our last house which was doing really well (see picture), but obvs we had to leave it behind when we moved. The leaves go the most amazing colours in autumn (purple, scarlet, orange – like all the colours), and the branches grow in a really interesting way so it’s got that architectural thing going on too. I’m so pleased I’m going to have a sumach back in my life.

Euonymus ‘Red Cascade’ (Spindle)

Well the clue’s in the name with this one. It’s an actual waterfall of crimson in the autumn, which is just the kind of in-your-face, hashtag-no-filter, go-big-or-go-home colour I like. And – and –  it has the most amazing clashing pink and orange winged fruits that cling on even after the leaves have fallen. Good for cutting and adding to Christmas wreaths, says Sarah Raven, and I do everything Sarah Raven says.

Amelanchier lamarckii (Snowy Mespilus)

This is really a 3-for-1 tree because it does blossom in spring, berries in summer and red-orange foliage in autumn. And in actual fact even the bare crown is apparently a bit of ‘thing’ in winter, so top marks for value. It’s a multi-stemmed tree, which I think could be very cool – I’m imagining each trunk wound with fairy lights. And the berries are edible! Something else to experiment with in the kitchen.

Malus ‘Diablo Rouge’

I just think crab apples are the best. This one has pink blossom, then deep-red fruit which will look really good in winter on the bare branches. But for autumn, the main attraction is the butter-yellow foliage, which I think will be a nice contrast to all the pinks and crimsons. 

 Euonymus alatus ‘Compactus’ (Compact winged spindle)

Another euonymus. This one for a pot, so I can move it around. I just think – can you ever have too many Euonymuses/Euonymusi? As well as being more compact – obviously – than the one above, it’s also apparently denser. Which can only enhance the colour surely. We shall see…