Gardening
Trees for Autumn colour
With this season being ‘the best time to plant trees’, Eamonn Wall, Arboretum Head horticulturist, shares his top four trees to plant to bring amazing autumn colour into your garden.
Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum)
You only have to say the words “Japanese Maple” and immediately I think of the spectacular colours the soft delicate leaves of these beautiful trees display in autumn. One of my favourite Japanese maples is ‘Osakazuki’ which changes from green to beautiful shades of red when triggered by autumn frost. This tree is not often stocked in garden centres, and this is simply down to customers not willing to plant a plain green tree. If you were to visit your local garden centre in the autumn however you’d see a kaleidoscope of autumnal colours ready for planting now, including the beautiful Osakazuki.
Mountain Ash (Sorbus)
A true all-rounder providing spring blossom, autumn leaf colour, followed by berries for attracting the birds. The Rowan Tree, known as Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia), grows well throughout Ireland and is relatively flexible with its growing conditions. The slender leaves turn yellow among equally vibrant berries. Other varieities of Sorbus such as commixta and joesph rock also work very nicely for providing an autumnal feel.
Sweet gum tree (Liquidambar)
The leaves look very similar to maple trees, but the leaves are waxy and tough. As the bark matures it takes on deep fissures which give this tree a unique look. But once again this tree is a firework of colour before autumn leaf fall. The sweet gum tree receives it’s name due to it’s brownish-yellow sap, that can sometimes be used as a chewing gum.
Red Oak (Quercus Rubra)
Contrary to what you might think, the Red Oak is a relatively fast-growing tree when compared to many hard wood trees. A ten-year-old tree can be 5 to 6 m (15-20 ft) tall. Green leaves during summer which turn hot reds in autumn, hence the common name. Well structured, this tree grows straight and tall, developing a solid trunk and rounded top with age.
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