AUTUMN is well advanced now.

Many of the flowers have disappeared from the borders and the leaves are beginning to fall from the trees.

The colour emphasis in the garden has moved from the painter's palette towards coordinated camouflage.

Straw-like strands of depleted stems merge into a rusty background of chlorophyll-starved foliage. Any of the rare late-flowering plants stand out like exotic jewels.

The autumn-flowering crocus (Colchicum autumnale) stretches its naked petals up towards the sky straight out from the cooled ground.

Their delicate presence is only fleeting, as their beauty is soon soiled by dirt splashed up by late autumn rains.

More substantial are the clumps of asters, in shades and combinations of blue, purple, mauve and white. They used to be highly susceptible to mildew, but nowadays new varieties are much more resistant.

It is the season of the berry now, and they are bountiful this year. It is often said that bushes full of berries indicate a harsh winter to come. That may be true, but I tend to see it more as a case of having had a good spring and summer.

The rowans (Sorbus spp. ) have a colourful array of fruit. Their bundles of berries come in all the fiery variants, from yellow through to orange and again to red. There are also several white varieties that really stand out, and one pink-berried strain that is more delicate.

The Guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) has to be one of the most sumptuous ones though. The dainty little bunches drip down from the branch on lengthy fragile stems. It is not so much the scarlet red colour that makes them attractive, but rather the plump, luscious sheen, that gives them a liquid quality.

Popular at the moment is an unusual little shrub known as Callicarpa (Callicarpa americana). From spring through to early autumn this remains a fairly inconspicuous plant. But as soon as the leaves fall and berries form it becomes something of a talking point.

The bare stems are covered in spacedout clumps of small, spherical, lilaccoloured fruit.

Despite its unusual appearance, Callicarpa is one of those plants that will usually thrive wherever you throw it.

It will happily tolerate full sun or partial shade. It is hardy, and it doesn't need to be cross-pollinated. In time it can get quite large in size, up to three metres, but will respond extremely well to a good pruning. Any branches cut off make very good floral arrangements.

Just to emphasise the loveliness of this plant, its botanical name derives from kalos, meaning beautiful, and carpos meaning fruit. The common name, beauty berry, also advertises its eye-pleasing qualities.

Even in the midsts of winter, there can be no excuse for not having interest and colour in the garden. The leaves and stems of certain plants can be more stunning than their summer floral display. The berries, though, add that touch of 'finishing school'. They round off the year's work and sing out the trees' names long into winter lest we forget them.

JOBS THIS WEEK

Complete repairs to lawn

There is just enough warmth left in the earth to finish off turf repairs to the lawn. Forget doing this with seed this late in the season. It would most likely not germinate.

Sow cabbages

Spring cabbage can be sown outside now. If you have cold heavy clay though, it might be best to start the seeds off under cover and then transplant out in a few weeks.

Pamper your houseplants

As the light levels diminish, it is a good idea to turn potted houseplants on a regular basis. This prevents them from getting one-sided and leggy.

READERS' QUESTIONS

I HAVE had several readers write to me this week about growth on their fruit trees and bushes. They have expressed concerns about the growth affecting the fruiting capacity of the plant. They have all included samples, which has made it easy for me to identify.

The growth on the branches is most definitely lichen. Lichens are completely self-sufficient organisms which make their own nutrients by the process of photosynthesis. This means that they are harmless to other plants. Although the branches that the lichens tend to colonise are the weaker ones, this doesn't mean that they have sapped them of their life. It is a simple matter of being easier to grow on a slow growing or motionless surface rather than a vigorous stem. Any reduction in the produce will not be a result of the lichen. It will be due to environmental reasons, pest attack or disease. The priority is to maintain the health of the tree or bush. Ensure that it is receiving sufficient water, is pruned correctly and free from grass and weeds around its stem. On the positive front, though, the presence of lichen is actually an indicator of particularly clean air.

Published: 01/11/2003