THE SEASON FOR COLOUR

Some of this season’s highlights include:

Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’ | One of the best Acer rubrum cultivars for autumn colour, this striking tree has a uniform growth habit and intense red autumn colour; the leaves also have a silvery tone to the underside, adding to the impressive display. 

Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ | A long-time favourite of many designers and landscapers, the ’Forest Pansy’ is an elegant small tree that can be left multi-branched or trimmed more formally to a central leader. Its purple foliage changes to a vivid yellow and orange through autumn, then small, pink flowers appear from the bare branches in spring. 

Nyssa sylvatica ‘NXSXF’ Forum™ | Selected for its uniform habit and faster growth rate, this cultivar maintains a strong central leader to create a striking feature in the landscape. One of the best medium trees for autumn foliage, the dark green leaves turn to yellow, orange and brilliant red in autumn. A perfect avenue tree!

Zelkova serrata ‘Mushashino’ | A narrow form of Zelkovaserrata, this fast growing Japanese Elm is perfect for sites where lateral space is restricted. The branching is very compact, creating a vase like shape when mature. A hardy tree, ‘Mushashino’ will tolerate an urban environment (radiant heat and some air pollution) and produce a display of red-orange autumn foliage.

Images (top to bottom): Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’; Acer rubrum ‘Brandywine’; Nyssasylvatica ‘NXSXF’ Forum™; Zelkova serrata ‘Mushashino’.