The foliage on my Acer palmatum ‘Crimson Queen’ is on the turn. Every day, its rich plum-coloured leaves are developing more flashes of scarlet and vermillion. I’ve had this compact acer growing in a container for over a decade now, and its vivid autumn colour lifts my heart as the colder months set in.

Vibrancy in the garden decreases in late Autumn and Winter, but the addition of a tree or two, even in a pot, brings a new dimension of colour and interest once the flush of summer flowers has died down.

Foliage

Acers are extremely versatile garden trees, offering a wide range of leaf shapes and colours. Acer palmatum ‘Katsura’ turns soft pinks and yellows, creating a gentle autumn glow, and Acer shirasawanum ‘Aureum’ (the Golden Full Moon Maple) has lime green leaves that turn wonderful golden orange shades. Many acers require acid soil; in our alkaline garden, I’ve planted them in containers filled with an ericaceous growing medium, in which they thrive.

Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) is one of the best trees for blazing autumn foliage colour, with bright orange seeds poking out of glossy pinky-red fruits in autumn. Tolerant of all soils, fully hardy and happy in sun or dappled shade, a spindle will add fire and glory to any autumn border. The winged spindle (Euonymus alata) has perhaps the most spectacular crimson foliage in autumn, hence its alternative common name, the burning bush. Please note that all parts of spindle trees are toxic. Whereas spindles are fairly inconspicuous until they burst into autumn flames, amelanchier or Juneberry has several seasons of interest. Both Amelanchier lamarkii and Amelanchier canadensis are suitable for small gardens, reaching around 6-8m after 20 years. As well as their dazzling orange-red autumn leaves, these attractive trees are covered with delicate star-shaped white flowers in spring that develop into small purplish berries in summer. Amelanchiers are suitable for all soil types except chalk.

Berries

Autumn is berry season. Clusters of ripe, glossy fruits light up the canopy, and attract birds like redwings, fieldfares and song thrushes. Cotoneaster ‘Cornubia’ is an ideal tree to add semi-evergreen structure to the garden. It produces rafts of red berries from late autumn that hang amidst the yellow-russet autumn foliage until the winter flocks come in to feast.

Rowans offer a wonderful range of different coloured berries alongside the rich tones of their reddish gold autumn leaves. The Kashmir rowan (Sorbus cashmiriana) has unusual large white berries that tend to be ignored by the birds, so they hang on the tree all winter. Sorbus aucuparia ‘Joseph Rock’ has golden yellow berries that contrast beautifully with the coppery tones of the autumn foliage.

Bark

In the coldest months, the textures and colours of tree bark are a key part of the winter garden tapestry. Acer griseum (paper bark maple) and Acer davidii ‘George Forrest’ (snake bark maple) both have exceptional autumn colour and highly decorative bark. The paper bark maple has beautiful peeling cinnamon-coloured bark, while the snake bark maple’s bright green bark is lined with rippling vertical white stripes.

Like Acer griseum, the paper bark birch (Betula papyrifera) also has peeling bark, but in shades of grey-white that fall away to show the pinky-white of the fresh layers beneath. This attractive tree has mellow orange autumn foliage and is suitable for medium to large gardens. Perhaps the richest of all bark belongs to the Tibetan cherry (Prunus serrula). One of my favourite winter sights, the deep mahogany bark of this small deciduous tree positively glows in low sunlight and its leaves turn a buttery yellow in autumn before they fall.

Flowers

Unlike most trees, Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ and ‘Autumnalis Rosea’ flower from late October to February. They are slender trees, perfect for small gardens and both have deep green foliage that turns a lovely golden yellow in autumn. With a choice of semi-double white (Autumnalis) or soft pink (Autumnalis Rosea) flowers, the winter flowering cherry is a fabulous tree for all but shallow chalk and extremely wet ground.