In order to make the garden attractive, there are many varieties of garden decor, but live plants themselves can be decorative ornaments. Ornamental plants are distinguished by the brightness and beauty of flowers, unusual fruits and color of foliage. In summer, the main color of the garden is green, against this background flowers always look great. However, trees with leaves of a different color against the background of a green dominant look very impressive.
If everyone is used to yellow autumn leaves, red ones invariably evoke admiration. Trees, whose leaves turn purple in autumn, are much smaller, and the red color in nature is one of the most beautiful and vibrant. When the flowers bloom, the garden becomes empty, and this void can be filled with ornamental trees and shrubs with leaves of unusual colors.
Barberry Admiration – burgundy and purple leaves with edging look no less impressive than bright autumn flowers, especially expressive in single compositions
Barberry is one of the most common shrubs for garden decoration. This is not surprising, since it is unpretentious and has wonderful decorative qualities.
Some varieties of this shrub have an unusual leaf color – burgundy (Thunberg barberry), others turn bright red with the arrival of autumn. The Ottawa barberry Auricoma is a shrub with purple-red leaves that turn red-orange in autumn.
Varieties of Thunberg barberry with green leaf edging. You can plant shrubs of different types on your site, in this case, your garden will preserve the beauty and brightness of colors until the very frost
Due to its excellent decorative properties, barberry is good everywhere – in single plantings, in groups with other plants and as a hedge. Shrubs do not need to be trimmed, but shaping and trimming will make them tidier, especially in hedges.
A hedge of barberry bushes looks great against the background of a lawn and a gravel path, maintenance is minimal, and the garden looks beautiful and neat
Barberry Thunberg and Ottawa are the most common. Conifers – Cossack juniper, thuja, pine – will be excellent “companions” for these shrubs. Wonderful compositions will form in the fall of the barberry in the company with deciduous shrubs of yellow color.
The dwarf barberry seems to be created for miniature compositions – on the lawn, in a rocky garden, to create a mixborder or curb. When planting a composition of several shrubs, it is desirable that the variety of forms be seen from everywhere.
When the berries of the barberry ripen, the foliage turns red and the shrub looks doubly attractive, especially on a bright green lawn.
Barberry is now sold in garden centers, so if you have opted for this cute ornamental shrub, you can buy it without any problems.
The role of shrubs in the garden should not be underestimated. With them, the garden looks habitable, cozy. Shrubs smooth out sharp corners well, and their beautiful leaves do not need constant care.
This type of maple is widely used in landscape design. Trees with red foliage native to southeast Asia and northeastern Canada. The Japanese have been breeding varieties of the red-leaved maple for centuries. Tree seedlings are sold today in nurseries. The red maple, in addition to purple leaves in the fall, has a beautiful crown shape. Depending on the variety, it can be columnar or round, ovoid. Thanks to the delicate design of the leaves, the crown looks delicate.
A red maple tree is blazing with a bonfire against the background of a golden autumn garden – a spectacular and very beautiful sight. You can try to create something similar in your garden.
The palm-shaped Japanese maple is a miniature tree with an openwork foliage pattern. It will look great in a Japanese garden, in compositions with large boulders. Sometimes it is grown in tubs that can be rearranged in different places.
The most beautiful, spectacular types of Japanese maple:
- Acer palmatum – fan-shaped (palm-shaped);
- Acer shirasawanum – Shirasawa maple;
- Acer japonicum – Japanese red maple.
A tree with red foliage looks beautiful in any planting – both group and single. Red maple is vulnerable to direct sunlight and is best planted in light shade rather than in an open area.
These trees can decorate patios and look good in groups with dark conifers. Since red maple is an oriental guest in our gardens, it is the perfect tree for Asian garden decor. Flowers that grow well in shade and partial shade can be planted under the umbrella crown of the tree.
Maple variety Red Sunset. Mature trees in a small group planting have grown well and decorate the front lawn
The buds of the red maple are large and bright red, the tree is very beautiful even during bud opening, so its decorative qualities are manifested not only in autumn.
Scumpia grows naturally in regions with a rather warm climate – in the Crimea, in the Caucasus, in the south of Russia, on the Mediterranean coast. With the onset of autumn, the leaves of this tall shrub turn burgundy, orange or purple (the color depends on the type of scumpia). First, the veins turn red, and then the leaf is painted in a bright color.
The scumpia has very beautiful leaves and inflorescences in the form of pink fluffy panicles, which can be used to create various compositions.
In central Russia, scumpia has taken root well and is widely used as an ornamental plant. It is good both in single and in group plantings, forms chic hedges. The shrub loves sunny glades, sheltered from the wind. Scumpia is hardy, resistant to diseases, pests rarely infect this shrub. Decorative qualities can be enhanced by taking up the formation of a bush.
Scumpia varieties that are often found in our country:
- Flame;
- Purpureus;
- Grace.
Royal Purper is popular in Europe, but can freeze in colder climates.
If you have slopes on your site, rocky soils, the scumpia will take root on them well, and will decorate your garden at any time of the year. In addition to the beautiful color of the foliage in autumn, it is beautiful during flowering – the inflorescences form pink fluffy panicles, making the shrub elegant and attractive.
A hedge of blooming skumpia with purple leaves is a decoration of the site and a way to hide unsightly buildings
If you decide to decorate your garden with scump, keep in mind that it grows well, so it needs space. A small seedling will eventually become a luxurious spreading bush or small tree.
An ornamental apple tree can be compared in beauty to sakura – it is beautiful during the flowering period, when it is dotted with many pink flowers, and when the apples turn red and harmonize with the color of the foliage, this small tree looks no less magnificent.
The crown of a blossoming decorative apple tree taken from above. As a rule, this tree has a rounded crown that does not need to be formed. The apple tree blooming with pink or purple flowers is like a princess in your garden
A decorative apple tree with red leaves in single plantings is especially good, when all attention is directed to its beauty, but several trees planted along the path, near the fence, look great. The tree will help to place the necessary accents in the garden, to highlight even a shaded corner.
One of the remarkable properties of an ornamental apple tree is its unpretentiousness, resistance to unfavorable atmospheric factors. She is not afraid of severe frosts, so she can be grown in rather harsh climates.
Fruits in combination with leaves look very harmonious, bright, besides, they are quite tasty. Living decor of the garden area in autumn and spring
There are many varieties of this tree, which can take center stage in the garden composition on your site. The color of the leaves and petals can be different, the same can be said about the shape of the crown, so if you opt for a decorative apple tree, study all the varieties and varieties of the tree.
Red-leaved plum is another unpretentious tree that can be successfully used in garden landscaping. She has maroon leaves and fruits of the same color. The tree also bears fruit well. The red-leaved plum lends itself well to shaping – you can form a spherical crown, it is good both as a freely growing tree and as a hedge. The height of the hedge can be anything – from quite high (2 m and more) to 60-70 cm. Such a hedge can be a great decor and hide your area from prying eyes. Like the ornamental apple tree, the plum is resistant to diseases and pests.
If you want to create a truly original garden on your site and are fond of ornamental plants, be sure to pay attention to red-leaved trees and shrubs. Both in summer and in autumn, they will help to place the necessary accents in the garden, create wonderful compositions. The site will look brighter, more elegant at any time of the year, except for the winter cold. And fruit plants with decorative foliage – plum, apple tree, barberry, will also delight you with delicious fruits by autumn.
