Autumn Colour Plants

How to choose an autumn performer

Start with mature size, because the range here is enormous. Japanese Blood Grass (Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra') colours at 45cm, the Coral Bark Maple finishes near 4m, and an American Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) reaches 15m with an 8m spread and surface roots that will lift paving. That last one belongs on a large lawn or a rural driveway, never in a courtyard. Between the extremes sit the crepe myrtles and Japanese maples that suit most suburban blocks.

Then weigh what the plant does for the other nine months. The White Crepe Myrtle 'Natchez' flowers through summer, colours in autumn and holds smooth cinnamon bark all winter, which is three seasons of interest from one 6m tree. A Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) offers the most refined foliage of the lot and reaches about 5m over 15 years in most gardens. Purple Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Atropurpureus') carries burgundy leaves from spring onward, so the display starts long before the season turns. If you want the tree to feed you as well, the pomegranates, mulberries and blueberries in our fruit tree range all colour before they drop.

Be honest with yourself about the trade off. Almost everything here is deciduous, the colour is the prelude to bare branches, and those leaves end up on the lawn. Planted well, that becomes a feature: a deciduous canopy on the northern side of a terrace gives summer shade and winter sun, each arriving exactly when you want it.

Where autumn colour plants perform best

Autumn colour is chemistry, and cool autumn nights drive it. In cool temperate gardens around Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, the Adelaide Hills and the tablelands, nearly everything in this collection colours hard and reliably, and the maples, ornamental pears and liquidambars are at their best. Warm temperate gardens in Sydney and Perth get a strong show that arrives a few weeks later, often running deep into May.

In subtropical gardens the palette of autumn colour plants narrows but does not disappear. Crepe myrtles are the standout, colouring well even after a mild autumn, and the whole crepe myrtle range shrugs off subtropical humidity. Foliage plants carry the rest of the load: Japanese Blood Grass runs red through the warm months and Nandina 'Moon Bay' holds fiery winter foliage at just 80cm. In the true tropics, deciduous colour is unreliable, and we would rather say that plainly than sell you a disappointing tree.

Planting and spacing

Autumn and winter are the ideal planting windows for deciduous stock: the plant settles in while the top is dormant and is ready to run in spring. Container grown trees can go in any mild month.

• Feature trees. Allow 4m of spread for a mature Japanese maple or a full sized crepe myrtle, and space crepe myrtles 3m apart for a driveway avenue.
• Screens. Capital Ornamental Pear (Pyrus calleryana 'Capital') holds about 2.5m wide at 10m tall and makes a fast narrow screen planted 2m apart.
• Walls and fences. Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) covers whatever it is given at 1.5m spacings, though its adhesive pads can mark painted render.
• Mass planting. Japanese Blood Grass at 40cm centres, or Nandina 'Moon Bay' at 50cm centres for a low informal hedge.

Dig each hole twice the width of the pot and no deeper, water in heavily, then mulch 75mm deep and keep the mulch off the trunk. Keep liquidambars and other large shade trees well away from paving, pipes and pools.

Care for a stronger show

Water deeply twice a week through the first summer rather than lightly every day. Feed once in early spring with a complete fertiliser; heavy feeding late in the season buys soft green growth instead of colour. Japanese maples hold their best colour with morning sun and shelter from hot afternoon sun and drying wind, especially the Coral Bark Maple 'Sango Kaku'. Prune deciduous trees in winter once the branches are bare and the structure is easy to read. Crepe myrtles are the exception, pruned lightly in late winter because they flower on new wood, and our crepe myrtle care guide covers the how and why. Rake the dropped leaves onto garden beds or into the compost. They are the cheapest soil improver you will ever get.

Common questions

Will I get real autumn colour in Brisbane?

Yes, with the right species. Crepe myrtles colour reliably in the subtropics because their trigger is mild cooling rather than frost, which is why they anchor this collection. Japanese maples and liquidambars want cooler nights than most subtropical gardens provide, so lean on crepe myrtles and coloured foliage plants instead.

When should I plant a deciduous tree?

Autumn through winter is ideal, because the roots establish while the top rests and the tree wakes up already at home. Everything here is grown and shipped in containers, so planting in any mild month works with regular water.

Why did my tree barely colour this year?

Usually a warm autumn, too much shade or a late dose of nitrogen. The pigments build as nights cool and sugars concentrate in the leaf, so a tree in full sun, fed once in spring and left slightly lean by March, colours hardest.

Are these trees safe near pools and paving?

Most crepe myrtles and Japanese maples have non-invasive roots and drop their leaves over a few short weeks, so they are well behaved near paving. The American Sweetgum is the exception: aggressive surface roots and spiky seed pods mean it needs a large lawn, not a pool surround.

How does delivery work?

Everything here is delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and no minimum order. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.