Tall STORIES

Trees can bring structure, shade and fabulous colour to a garden, particularly through the autumn

- KATHARINA HUTCHINGS

Trees offer a wealth of benefits in the garden: shade, fruit, autumn colour, fragrance, flowers, height and structure. Their value to wildlife and the environment is well documented, but research shows that trees are good for our health and wellbeing too – in fact, studies have found that hospital patients with a view of trees heal more quickly and need less pain relief.

In short, every garden, however small, should have at least one tree. Many people, particularly those with limited outside space, may believe they don’t have room for one, but with so many thousands of garden trees to choose from, in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, there truly is a tree to suit every garden.

Autumn is the ideal time to think about planting trees, and a wonderful time of year to visit gardens to see the foliage taking on its seasonal tints. If you are not sure which trees might work well in your own garden, try visiting a garden with similar conditions to yours to see what grows well there.

The science of autumn colour

The turning of leaf colour in autumn is an event many people around the world look forward to. In the US, it’s big business, with the ‘leafpeeping’ season estimated to be worth around $1 billion dollars to the tourism industry in the state of Wisconsin.