In the Garden: Which trees to plant for an autumn show

AS we start December, the temperatures have dropped somewhat but there is still some autumn leaf colour to be enjoyed in the garden.

Every autumn is different when it comes to the enjoyment of leaf colour and the years where there are early frosts provide the most spectacular displays.

A wet and windy October did not bode well for November in the garden, but it was not so bad on the trees, and here we are at the start of December with leaves continuing to hang in there.

The young apple trees in my garden have just begun to lose their leaves this week, turning golden yellow before falling to the ground.

If you feel that there is room in your garden for some trees to provide some autumn colour in the future, then now is a good time to consider making additions and to get planting - after all, there is an ‘r’ in the month!

Some of the best remaining autumn colour on show in late autumn into winter is Liquidambar styraciflua with its stunning shades of deep reds and yellows throughout November and into December. It does like acid soils so be aware of this when investing and it will require some space, getting to about 20m tall and 10m wide.

Nyssa sylvatica is a medium-sized deciduous tree that has spectacular autumn leaf colour in shades of red, orange, pink and yellow. Again, it prefers an acid soil and will do best in a location where it has shelter.

Flowering in spring, this tree has nectar-rich flowers which are useful to bees and it will get to a height of about 12 metres and spread of nine metres.

Taxodium distichum, or the swamp cypress, is a deciduous conifer with bright orange autumn foliage. It likes a wet soil and is tolerant of acid, alkaline or neutral, preferring acid. This tree will get to about 15 metres in height and six metres spread.

Do consider the space that you have available before choosing a tree as this will be a limiting factor.

Christmas preparation

It is the season to be jolly, for sure, and to begin foraging in earnest with all of the festive flower arrangements and presents to be created over the coming weeks with material from the garden.

If you do not have a lot of plant material which is useful at this time for inclusion in seasonal decoration, then maybe it is time to invest in planting some interesting evergreen plants that will provide foliage in the future.

There are many very useful shrubs which will not take up a lot of space, that are very hardy and will provide interest during the winter months, which include, sarcococca, eleagnus, holly, ivy, myrtle, euonymus, hebe and yew.

Eucalyptus foliage is excellent at any time of the year, but the trees do get very tall and leggy.

They can be coppiced regularly to keep the new growth accessible and prevent them becoming too tall. This pruning should be completed before the sap rises in springtime, about February or March.

There are plenty of workshops and demonstrations happening over the next few weeks to inspire creativity this festive season. These include an event in aid of Marymount at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork this Tuesday, December 5 at 7.30pm, with the ever entertaining and talented Malcolm Kitt demonstrating a floral creation. For more details, contact the Marymount Office on 021 4869100.

Firther afield, Finnuala Fallon is running a series of wreath-making workshops at June Blake’s newly-restored Grinding House near Blessington, Co. Wicklow, in December. See the Irish Flower Farmer on Instagram for more details.

Closer to home, Finnuala is running a full day Christmas wreath-making workshop at Ballymaloe Cookery School on December 18, see www.ballymaloecookeryschool.ie for more details.

Visitors to Mount Congreve Gardens will also have the opportunity to book into a number of festive workshops, from Wreath Making to Calligraphy and Christmas Cooking Demonstrations, with Tablescaping and Festive Candle-making workshops on offer during weekends from December 1-21.

Wreath-making will be led by the garden team in the Mount Congreve school room, and participants will be offered the opportunity to enjoy exploring the gardens with one of the garden team who will share top tips for picking yuletide foliage and natural materials to inspire your creations. Back in the classroom following a wreath-making demonstration, you will create your own wreath.

Christmas Cookery Demonstrations and tablescaping will demonstrate how to make some delicious mulled wine, mince pies and Guinness bread with Pantry at CLIFF’s Head Chef Bruno Dantes, followed by tablescaping tips from none other than the Stables Café Manager, Mr Nelson Saraiva.

Calligraphy will be led by expert Sarah O’Dea, offering participants an opportunity to learn the basic techniques of modern calligraphy.

A calligraphy kit is included for each participant to take away with them (nib, pen holder, worksheets, ink pot).

Emma Hyland of MuMe will lead Festive Candle Making and guide you through creating festive candle-making, and each person will take home their own creations.

Check out www.mountcongreve.com for more details about all of these events and more happening in the run up to Christmas.

It’s such a lovely pursuit, collecting material from the garden or the hedgerows and creating a compostable decoration for the home or as a thoughtful gift. A most satisfying act, to place a wreath complete on the compost heap and know that it will melt away.

Happy Sustainable Festive Gardening and decorating this December!