Autumn Colour Trees

When summer quietly fades, autumn colour trees are ready to unveil their full beauty. Their leaves turning into fiery reds, vibrant oranges, and golden yellows transform gardens into living works of art and magical, inviting spaces filled with serenity and joy.

Our experts are ready to guide you through our impressive selection of autumn trees and shrubs, helping you find the perfect match for your landscape. They will also provide guidance on care, planting, and nurturing to ensure your new tree thrives in its new environment.

Prefer buying autumn colour trees online? Visit our web store to explore our carefully curated selection.

Our Top 10 Autumn Colour Trees and Shrubs

Here is our list of the top 10 autumn colour trees UK with their main characteristics to help you find your ideal tree.

Acer Rubrum ‘October Glory’

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Brilliant red with orange highlights
  • Growth Habit: Upright, rounded crown with a fast growth rate
  • Mature Height: 12-15 meters

Acer palmatum | Japanese Maple

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: From bright red to deep burgundy, with orange tones
  • Growth Habit: Small, rounded tree with a spreading habit
  • Mature Height: 4-6 meters

Liquidambar styraciflua | Sweet Gum Tree

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: A mix of red, orange, yellow, and purple
  • Growth Habit: Pyramidal when young, more rounded as it matures
  • Mature Height: 20-30 meters

Fagus Sylvatica Purpurea | Copper Beech

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Rich coppery-bronze
  • Growth Habit: Broad, rounded with a spreading crown
  • Mature Height: 25-35 meters

Nyssa sylvatica | Black Gum Tree

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Vivid scarlet, purple, orange, and sometimes yellow; one of the best trees for autumn colour
  • Growth Habit: Pyramidal in youth, more irregular, and spreading as it matures
  • Mature Height: 9-18 meters

Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku | Japanese Maple

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Golden yellow to orange with a red blush. With impressive coral-red bark
  • Growth Habit: Vase-shaped with an upright form
  • Mature Height: 4-7 meters

Acer palmatum 'Osakazuki' | Japanese Maple

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Intense crimson red
    One of the Japanese maples most beautiful looking in autumn
  • Growth Habit: Rounded, upright, relatively fast-growing
  • Mature Height: 4-6 meters

Acer palmatum 'Dissectum' | Japanese Maple

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Orange to fiery red, with a multi-toned effect
  • Growth Habit: Weeping or cascading habit with finely dissected leaves
  • Mature Height: 2-3 meters

Cotinus coggygria 'Golden Spirit'

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Bright orange-red with pinkish highlights
  • Growth Habit: Upright, bushy shrub with a rounded form
  • Mature Height: 3-5 meters

Sorbus aucuparia ‘Autumn Spire’

  • Autumn Leaf Colour: Yellow to orange-red
  • Growth Habit: Upright, narrow form with a columnar habit
  • Mature Height: 4-8 meters

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is an autumn tree? An autumn tree is a tree that features vibrant, colourful foliage in the autumn. Its leaves can turn different tones of yellow, orange, red, purple, or brown. Autumn trees are very decorative and highly valued in landscaping.
  • What are the colours of trees in autumn?
    In autumn, trees stop producing chlorophyll, the green pigment in the leaves, and their foliage reveals a beautiful range of colours – yellow, orange, red, purple, and brown. Each colour shows off in a variety of shades. For example, red as deep crimson, scarlet or burgundy; orange as bright tangerine, pumpkin or copper; yellow as golden, lemon, or amber; purple as rich plum or violet; and brown as russet or bronze.
  • Which trees look best in autumn?
    Some of the trees that have the best autumn colour are maple, Japanese maple, oak, sweetgum, ginko, dogwood, and more.
  • What is the most colourful autumn tree?
    Liquidambar styraciflua | Sweet Gum Tree is considered to be one of the most colourful and attractive autumn trees. Its foliage includes yellow, orange, red, and purple, all at the same time.
  • Are there any dwarf autumn colour trees UK?
    Yes, there are small autumn colour trees suitable for growing in UK gardens. Some of the dwarf varieties are various cultivars of Japanese maple or dwarf American Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria).
  • Are there any autumn colour trees near me for sale? If you’re looking to buy autumn colour trees, visit our Arundel Arboretum nursery in Arundel, Chichester, South of England, to explore top-quality trees at our autumn colour trees farm. Or, browse our online store and find autumn colour trees for sale there. We’ll take care of the rest. Also, if you have any questions or if you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us.
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