Sorbus ‘Joseph Rock’

‘Joseph Rock’ is the mountain ash we’d pick for gardens that aren’t huge. The pinnate leaves stay a fresh green all summer, then light up in orange, purple and red come autumn.

The real party piece is the fruit. Clusters of butter-yellow berries hang on well into the winter, often still there when the leaves have long gone, pulling in blackbirds and thrushes. Small white flowers in late spring start the cycle off.

It’ll settle in most soils, happy in full sun or partial shade, and it tolerates a bit of urban grit. Given 20 to 50 years it reaches 8 to 12 metres, so it’s a solid specimen tree for a front garden or a lawn corner where you want something to look at year-round.