JANE: When summer's ending and those first cold snaps occur,
we're often treated to a stunning display of autumn colours
from deciduous trees, like this beautiful Japanese maple.
This colour change happens because trees' and plants' leaves
contain green chlorophyll,
which is constantly breaking down and being replaced during summer.
Come autumn, this process slows down,
revealing those amazing reds, yellows and oranges in the leaves
that are normally dominated by that green chlorophyll.
Cooler climates definitely bring out the best in autumn colours,
but you'd be surprised just how many Australian plants
can provide loads of autumn colour too.
Banksias, especially like this one, Birthday Candles,
do exceptionally well when the temperature drops,
and you can see why it's called Birthday Candles.
This lovely candle, a spire or a cone of flowers.
And I love those hairpins. The detail is extraordinary.
A beautiful plant to grow in a pot or in the garden,
but if you've got soil that is poorly drained, go for the pot.
Another of my favourites is the correa, or native fuchsia.
You can see why - it's got little tubular flowers that
just go all through winter.
It's a beautiful little plant.
You can clip it into shape.
And there's lots of different species and cultivars.
By my front gate, I've got this one.
It's Philotheca - lovely white starry flowers
and a very lovely fragrance to the foliage.
And another one.
This is called Crowea, Crowea exalata,
and it's a relative of the boronia.
So it's also got fragrant foliage,
but I just love that mass of pinky-mauve starry flowers.
These natives provide autumn colour.
There are lots of other plants that do their bit
at this time of the year too.
Think of chrysanthemums
and automatically you think of Mother's Day.
Chrysanthemums are terrific plants.
There's such a variety of types and colours.
Well, these are the more cottagey ones, sort of relaxed,
sort of shabby chic-y look,
and these more formal ones,
which just look like a spinning wheel.
They're quite amazing.
They're great in a pot. You can leave them in a pot.
And then when they've finished flowering,
chop them right back and plant them in the garden,
give them some fertiliser, and in spring, they'll bounce back again
and you'll be picking plenty of flowers for a vase
or just for colour in the garden.
They're marvellous.
A classic camellia display is a star feature of any autumn garden -
another really versatile plant that can be hedged, espaliered,
you name it -
and with over 30,000 varieties of camellias growing in the world,
you'll easily find one to take your fancy.
Wonderful indoor colour can be presented with cyclamen.
These are the florists' cyclamen.
They're bred to be a bit larger in flower,
always held right above the foliage.
I love the foliage -
a great characteristic, all those dotty looks.
They love a brightly lit situation indoors,
but they really don't like heaters, so keep them well away from that,
and when they finish flowering, you'll notice because
the flowers just go a little bit limp, like that, and they fall off.
You should just press the stems down into the corm in the middle
and then twist,
and you'll find that they'll come off without damaging the corm.
Now, what about THESE ones?
These are the outdoor cyclamen.
They're little miniature cyclamen. That's how they come in nature.
You can see these wonderful flowers above the foliage,
but have a look at all those buds,
all ready to just keep going for months and months.
Another plant that is really good for autumn colour is this.
It's the vibrant succulent plant called kalanchoe.
And it's a beauty for outdoors as well in a sunny spot,
but if you're in a frosty area, bring it indoors, keep it in a pot.
Have it on a bright, sunny windowsill. It'll love it.
And don't overwater it.
You can also literally taste autumn,
with fruits like crabapples, persimmons and rosehips.
Also, you can plant up red-veined sorrel.
Even the looseleaf lettuces have greens and reds that are delicious.
And what about the rainbow chard?
They can look so pretty that you really don't want to pick them.
You can splash all these gorgeous autumn colours throughout your garden
without having to rely on deciduous trees.
AND you'll be making the most of the season.