NATURE put on a brilliant show of colour this autumn, the best seen for years. A two month spectacular, lighting up our gardens and the wider countryside with bright yellows, russet oranges and vibrant reds. The earliest changers may have long since lost their leaves, but latecomers to the party have saved the best till last and for some, the show goes on.

It is amazing to think that actually those shining golden leaves held that colour all the time. It is just that we did not see it during spring and summer. The quantity and depth of green pigment they contained masked all else. The green is the ‘chlorophyll’ whose sole and all important purpose is to miraculously catch sunlight, converting CO2 and water to the sugars that power all life. As the dark, cold days of winter approach however, their job is done for the year and they break down to allow the leaves’ true colours to shine through.

Larches, unusually for a conifer, lose their leaves at this time of year, first brightening up many otherwise monotonously dark forestry plantations with their incandescent yellow spires. Other trees to enjoy in the countryside include the seasonal butter yellow of birch and limes, and the luminously yellow field maples, not so common natives now widely planted alongside roads.

Great English oaks may not change into the bright colours of their brasher american counterparts, but do have the dogged staying power that keeps their rich brown leaves on the longest. Beech, that magnificent woodland giant turns shades of russet and gold, while liquidambars famously and luxuriantly change later than most through rich ruby reds to deep winey purples. Perhaps the prettiest autumn colour for the smaller garden however is from the Japanese maples, whose beautifully tinted leaves delicately decorate their tracery of branches All that was up, sooner or later will come down though, and over the Atlantic they have certainly got it right when they call this season ‘Fall.’ Heavy rain and wind help them on their way and if a sharp air frost comes along, every leaf is dropped like confetti in sunshine the next day. Until then though, enjoy whats left of the magnificent and free, ‘Fall’ display.

Chris Crowder is head gardener at Levens Hall

chris.crowder@me.com

Jobs to do this week:

Leaves, when they drop are a wonderful natural source of mulching material and a soil improver. Leave them in situ under trees and shrubs, but those raked away from lawns, drives and off smaller plants should be stored in bags or leaf bins for use later. They take at least a year to rot down, so don’t mix them in with normal compost.

If you want virtually guaranteed propagation success, stick in some hardwood cuttings of blackcurrants now.

Pots and ornamental containers that are not being used should be brought inside a shed or garage to protect them from frost damage. If worried about those that must stay outside, it may help to wrap them in insulating bubble plastic.