Gardens can look a bit dull at the moment but there is no need to put up with this. Your garden can look spectacular in autumn with a bit of planning so add some carefully selected shrubs for colour and interest every year.
My own garden is rather windy and prone to early autumn frost and I can’t rely on spectacular autumn leaf colour. I struggle on and plant optimistically but my Japanese maples never do as well as they should. But some shrubs do reliably ‘colour up’ and are looking good at the moment. These includes some spring-flowering white spiraeas, some cornus, my cherished parrotia, and the liquidambars, unrivalled for crimson and purple colouring – and they last for ages too.
But there are many more plants for autumn. Evergreens are beautiful all year but are most appreciated in winter. Hollies (ilex) are easy in all but waterlogged soils and female plants will also have pretty berries. Don’t forget conifers. These offer a remarkable diversity of colours and textures and the yews (taxus) are tolerant of shade.
The many forms of Pittosporum tenuifolium are invaluable in most gardens and provide shiny, evergreen foliage on ‘clippable’ shrubs with a large range of leaf colours. They tolerate a wide range of soils provided they are not waterlogged and they are surprisingly hardy – they used to be considered rather tender. Some are tall (2m or more) but other are either slow growing or dwarf. ‘Tom Thumb’ is always popular, with darkest purple leaves on a neat plant. The new foliage is lime green and the contrast is either striking or alarming! I think it is the latter. I believe ‘Bannow Bay’ is a variegated mutation of this and the foliage is purple and pink and a bit less strident. I combined it with a pink potentilla and purple hydrangea and they provide colour all year with the minimum of fuss.
When it comes to my top ten shrubs I would always include a nandina. These elegant evergreens are often called sacred bamboos and they do look a bit like bamboos in foliage but they are related to berberis and mahonias and will produce large clusters of small, white flowers and red berries when they are established. With purple-tinged new growth and some autumn colour, these evergreens are perfect for borders and pots in sun or part shade. There are many varieties but the most popular is the dwarf ‘Fire Power’. It is unusual because the foliage is broader and less elegant than most and it rarely blooms. I don’t understand why people pick this one when the others are so much more elegant but it is good and colourful ground cover.
November is the time when many of us plant trees and the crab apples are the first choice when it comes to trees for small gardens. They are never too big, they are easy to prune and they offer many seasons of interest. Their flowers are good for pollinators and the small fruit are relished by wildlife. Some have colourful foliage too and those with larger fruits are good for making jelly too.
Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ and similar kinds are among the most spectacular flowering shrubs in autumn.
These all have rather gaunt, upright stems with evergreen, holly-like leaflets. The spikes of flowers start to form in late summer and at the moment are starting to open, releasing their sweet scent. The flowers are bright yellow and remain in colour for many weeks and are popular with late-flying bees, providing valuable late-season nectar. Eventually the flowers are replaced by black berries, which are devoured by birds.
Over the years these mahonias can become rather bare at the base and look a bit like small palm trees. I quite like them at this stage but they can easily be made more bushy by cutting them back hard in March. These mahonias will grow in sun or shade, and will be more compact and will flower most profusely in sun.
If you prefer pink to yellow the classic choice is Viburnum ‘Dawn’ which is a lovely shrub with fragrant pink flowers from November to March. Slightly bigger is Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ with is a delicate small tree with masses of dainty pale pink flowers from autumn to spring, depending on the weather. The flowers are delightful on a sunny autumn day against a clear blue sky.
Autumn is always associated with berries and skimmias are suitable for most gardens, thriving in sun or shade but best in part shade. They do not like soils over chalk and you need female plants to get berries and also a make to fertilise the female. The most popular skimmia is ‘Rubella’ with deep red flower buds all winter and this is male.
There are lots of different skimmias and not all have red berries. The white-berried form was once extremely rare but is not widely available and a striking plant.
Looking ahead to winter and spring, one of the choicest plants for winter colour is the Algerian iris (Iris unguicularis). This is a low, rather scruffy plant with grassy leaves. It needs a dry and sunny spot and is a classic choice for the base of a south-facing wall where little else will grow. In early spring it produces many large, fragrant flowers. If you don’t have a dry, baked spot for it choose Iris lazica which is similar but will thrive in some shade and more ‘average soil’. You will hardly notice the strappy foliage in summer but will be enthralled by the gorgeous blooms in January.
