Top 10 plants for a beautiful autumn garden

People are wary of planting smoke bushes, for fear that they’ll take over the garden, but these autumn colour favourites respond well to pruning, and smaller cultivars are available too. Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’ and ‘Grace’ are both large shrubs, with foliage that turns red, orange and yellow in autumn and stays put well into November, while Cotinus obovatus is a small tree with fiery autumn colour. Of additional interest are the flowerheads, whose fluffy appearance gives the plant its ‘smoke’ effect.

If you’re lucky enough to have a sunny, south-facing wall, try growing Nerine bowdenii next to it, either in the ground or in pots. A South African special, its striking bright pink, purple, red or white flowers will catch the eye when the rest of the garden is winding down. The bulbs need hot, sunny conditions to flower well, and they reward neglect; the more congested they are, the better the blooms.

While Phlomis has long finished flowering by November, what does continue well into autumn and winter are its amazing structural flowerheads. Each dark brown stem has several whorls staggered along its length and, standing upright above the leaves, these create a bold counterpoint to a paler backdrop such as grasses. P. russelliana has yellow flowers; P. tuberosa has pinky-purple. Both can reach 1m or more in height in rich soil.

Once you start with these colourful plants, you’ll want to keep adding more and more to the garden. Their compact size and endless flowering makes them an essential addition if you have a sunny garden with well-drained soil. Most will make it through the winter in milder parts of the UK, but take cuttings in autumn just in case. My favourite cultivars are Salvia x jamensis ‘Nachtvlinder’ (darkest purple flowers), S. microphylla ‘Royal Bumble’, and S. greggii ‘Stormy Pink’ (pale pink flowers on dark stems). They also look great in pots.

Scent is a rare commodity during colder months, but Mahonia x media ‘Buckland’ pumps out its perfume even during frosty weather. Its vibrant yellow flowers – which stand out even on the dankest autumnal days – and its tolerance for shade make it suitable for dark corners where other plants might struggle. Grape-like black berries follow the flowers and are eaten with gusto by blackbirds at an otherwise lean time of year.