Time to plant trees, hedges and large shrubs

By Debby Looney, gardening expert

We are coming into the season where traditionally people plant trees, hedges and large shrubs. This is because we are heading into the dormant period for plants, and it will be possible to buy a large selection bare rooted.

Bare rooted plants are, as the name suggests, not potted up. This makes them less labour intensive and therefore, much cheaper. When buying large quantities such as hedging, or large value items such as trees, it really is worth looking into the bare rooted option. These should be in larger garden centres from mid-October until around April.

There are some trees worth looking at for this time of year. One of my favourites is the Eucryphia. A slender tree, growing into a columnar shape, it is ideal for a smaller garden. The white flowers are a great source of food for pollinators at this time of year, and a welcome sight at the trail end of the season. Having said that, the tree I have in the garden seems to have flowers on it year round! There is also a pretty pink cultivar, called ‘Ballerina’. These trees are commonly known as leatherwood, and their glossy green leaves are a great backdrop for the abundant flowers. They can be pruned after flowering, and this really encourages flowering the following year. Eucryphias are also suitable for large pots, as long as they are watered well.
Rhus, or Stag’s horn Sumach, is another favourite. Their autumnal colour is one of the best, and it is worth planting in a sheltered spot to avoid the leaves being blown off – even though it is very hardy. This is a large shrub, or small tree and please be aware, it suckers! The leaves are like large ash leaves, and are not temperature reliant for colouring. On female and male plants, red velvety flower cones appear in the spring, which turn to clusters of red berries on the female plants. These last well into the following spring.

Cercis siliquastrum is a small tree well worth planting if you have a sheltered site. It has beautiful heart shaped leaves which emerge coppery in the spring and turn a lush green and go a brilliant yellow in the autumn. It has clusters of purple flowers which resemble pea flowers in May.
There are many acers which also have a magnificent autumn colour, such as Acer griseum, which has a peeling bark and bright red autumn colour. A slow growing tree, it will happily sit well in any moderately sheltered spot.

Any article about tree colour would not be complete without mentioning the mountain ash, or Sorbus. Now, until about a year ago, I would always recommend ‘Joseph Rock’ a mountain ash with the most gorgeous yellow berries. However, my heart has been stolen by S. pseudohuphensis ‘Pink Pagoda’. Starting in spring, with the unfurling of the grey-green foliage, moving on to the blush pink flowers, followed by proper pink berries – no wishy washy colours here! As with most Sorbus varieties the foliage turns bright red, which really makes the berries pop! The berries hang on right through the winter until the birds realise they are there… a good reason to put out bird feeders!