It's that time of year again - the leaves are turning to all manner of shades of red, gold and orange. One of the best nature spectacles of the year and in some of our towns and cities with their mix of native and non-native trees and shrubs, the show can be enhanced.

Once the leaves fall, it signifies to me the start of the planting season and if I really want to successfully grow some plants I should go buy some and get digging! The beauty of winter planting is the wider choice of plants available. We can buy potted plants throughout the year but when plants are dormant in winter it allows many to be sold without pots. 'Bare-rooted plants' as they are called, are usually cheaper to buy than when in pots.

There's also the benefit of no peat being involved as there would on a pot. Many of our native species are available in this way, so if you want to plant a hedge or tree, or even landscape a whole garden, this is the most cost effective time in which to do it!

I've often witnessed the best results from planting before the end of the year. They certainly seem less likely to want watering in the summer. Maybe it's because the soil may still have some warmth in it which helps the roots establish quicker.

There's lots of good plants to choose from, such as hawthorn, rowan, field maple, blackthorn, hazel, birch, grey or goat willow - the list is endless. Remember to look around and try to get those native species that really have come from British stock. It's not easy but you can do no worse than to start by looking at the Floralocale website which has a list of approved suppliers. Happy planting!

I'm off now to order a couple of small trees (oak and field maple) to add height to the hedge I planted last winter.