The stars of October and early November when it comes to colour are the Japanese maples (Acer palmatum), Leaves can colour up to lipstick-red, bright-orange, yellow or rich butterscotch-brown.

Leaf shapes vary from lobed to finely dissected and their scale, more shrub than tree, suits the smaller garden.

Their intricate framework of twisting stems is a feature when the leaves drop, usually as November approaches, and many offer attractive spring foliage too. So these slow-growing trees light up every season.

Anyone planting a Japanese maple needs a sheltered position with an overhead canopy above because Japanese maples are tender souls. They need protection from strong winds, late frosts and overhead summer sun.

Given these conditions they will adapt to a range of soils and sites. However they are very vulnerable just as they come into leaf and, if they do catch a late frost then, they can die very suddenly.

You can plant them in containers, although care must be taken to keep them moist enough during summer. Select a sturdy terracotta pot about twice the size of the one the acer is already in. Make sure the pot has good drainage holes and stand your pot on feet so that water can escape in winter.

Avoid pots with narrower necks than bottoms because eventually you will have to repot your tree and this shape makes it impossible. Avoid pots which are much wider at the top than the bottom. They look sturdy, but catch lots of rainfall and wet soil lingers round the roots. Use John Innes No.3 as this loam-based compost is less likely to dry out.

Keep plants well watered whilst in leaf and check them every week as rainfall is often kept away from the compost by the leaves. Japanese maples need good light in order to develop their vivid colour, so don’t expect them to thrive in complete shade.

When buying Japanese maples it is far better to break open the piggy bank and get a good specimen that’s a reasonable size. This will cost money as these trees can take several years to reach three or four feet.

On average 50 years of growth produces a tree approximately 5m (about 15 feet) high. So when you see mature specimens in arboreta they have often been there for 70 or 80 years. Your container-grown tree may could cost £100. Ouch! So water it carefully when planting and mulch with two inches of chipped bark, but not right up against the trunk.

Water newly-planted trees carefully in their first couple of growing seasons. Little and often is recommended. Japanese maples have been an essential part of the Japanese garden for centuries, but the first tree didn’t reach England until 1820. Among the best are Sumi-nagashi, a tree-like acer with jagged-edged seven-lobed leaves that are purple in spring but redden up in autumn. This can take a more exposed position than many acers.

Bloodgood provides vivid-red autumn colour and it tolerates sunny positions. Katsura is a medium-sized maple often grown for its new orange growth in early spring. It produces golden autumn foliage. Another solid choice is Acer palmatum var. dissectum – ‘garnet’ has feathery foliage and a dome-like habit, so it’s good for containers or smaller gardens. It turns yellow and orange in autumn. While ‘red pygmy’ provides a dome of red and scarlet in autumn.