Sharing know-how about UK gardening

The trend towards tinier gardens means that often there's not room for large trees and shrubs. But that doesn't mean that you can't have autumn colour, because fortunately small specimens are a possibility. Elegantly-shaped Japanese maples fit the bill, easily slot into most gardens, which is good news for those wanting an Oriental touch to their water garden or Koi pond, without going over the top.

These plants' small size, slow growth, delicate foliage and glorious autumn colours make them ideal specimens for the garden. It's best not to overdo it in a small area - choose two or three at the most in complementary colours. Being expensive plants, you probably won't want to buy too many in any case. The reason for their higher price is the fact that many are grafted, which is a longer process than growing seedlings, and these slow-growing plants take some time to reach a saleable size.

All Japanese maples are deciduous, but the result of them dropping their leaves is to reveal the delicacy of their skeleton of branches that create a rounded or spreading outline. And although most have dull bark, a coating of frost adds to their beauty. For a winter-long display of glowing colour, there are maples with colourful young stems such as the widely available Acer palmatum 'Sango-kaku' (often sold as 'Senkaki') with coral-red growth, and the harder to find 'Corallinum' with pink stems and young leaves.