AS I write, I fear this calm and sunny spell of weather is drawing to a close, and the dazzling display of yellow, red and crimson leaves will only be a memory by the time you read this. For me, however, the spell hasn’t yet been broken. From my window, I’m captivated by a fine old elm at the bottom of the garden.

And what a mix of colours it displays. A yellow pencil line surrounds some faded leaves; in others, the yellow has suffused all but the very centre, and yet more leaves are purest yellow. And there’s even more to enjoy. The leaves that fall in the nearby burn usually pile up behind stones and form tiny golden dams in the glistening water.

High above the burn, at the back of the orchard, a splendidly tall birch has more to offer. Its wealth of tiny leaves sway gently in the wind, almost like a yellow-speckled flag. And so I could go on. I know I’m extremely lucky to have such a spectacle on my doorstep.

We all want to capture some of this natural bonanza in our gardens and there’s no shortage of shrubs and small trees to oblige. Acers are, understandably, a popular choice, but their leaves change colour at much the same time, so don’t have such a wide range of shades simultaneously.

Fortunately, there are plenty of trees and shrubs as well as acers. Sorbus are always good, with the new rowan, Sorbus "Autumn Spire", worth a special mention. As the name suggests, this variety’s narrow, compact shape glows like an elegant orangey-red fire. And the clusters of yellow berries discreetly blend in.

If you fancy darker, near purple leaves, stag's horn stumach is your bush. Cotinus coggygria "Young Lady" or Parrotia persica "Vanessa", with dark crimson foliage, are worth considering.

In my eyes, however, Euonymus europaeus is a star player, with its truly magnificent scarlet leaves. Every time I look up from the kitchen garden or go to feed the ducks, I see how well it blends in with the blue-green needles of a nearby juniper. As the red leaves fall, the needles almost seem to peek through.

So why do some trees have that all-too-brief moment of glory while others cling on grimly to their leaves? The first trees were evergreens, but in time, some genera came up with new ways of dealing with their environment. It’s thought that evergreens retain their leaves so they can photosynthesise throughout the year and enjoy a steady uptake of nutrients. This is especially true in tropical and subtropical regions.

On the other hand, in temperate regions, deciduous trees drop their leaves to deal with more extreme seasonal weather changes. There’s much less sun in winter for effective photosynthesis and these trees protect themselves from frost damage by closing down and sealing themselves off as best they can.

Before dropping their leaves, species such as ash and hazel absorb chlorophyll and other useful substances before sealing themselves off from their leaves by forming what’s called an abscission layer. Without the chlorophyll, the leaves are left with highly coloured chemicals which turn them into the reds and yellows we’ve just been enjoying.

Almost inevitably, some trees don’t fit into this mould. The leaves of beech, oak and hornbeam die in autumn, as you’d expect of a deciduous specimen. Surprisingly, though, they don’t all fall until the following spring. Unlike other deciduous trees, the abscission seal between twig and leaf doesn’t form in the juvenile growth, so the leaf hangs on. Beech has close evergreen relatives and it’s been suggested that, in evolutionary terms, oak and beech are midway between evergreen and deciduous species.

By regularly clipping a beech hedge, you encourage a constant supply of young growth with fine tawny leaves that will hang until spring.