In autumn your eye picks out those trees that are star performers at this time of year. Demanding characters will try to grab your attention with their dramatic foliage — sugar-soaked hues of reds, burnt oranges and umbers — while others will have unusual bark or copious quantities of berries.

I adore fine displays of strong autumn colour, but these days find myself looking for trees that will not just come into their own now, but ones that will sing to me in other ways and work harder for the garden over two or three seasons.

I have become increasingly drawn to crab apple trees. Many of them put on abundant displays of flowers in spring — as you would expect from a member of the rose family — and later in the year they not only have strong autumn colour but also will already have set their striking, brightly coloured ornamental fruit, which stay on the trees well after all the leaves have dropped. That’s what I call double (or even triple) bubble in the plant world.

There are a good range of shapes and sizes for the small garden, and some can be manipulated through pruning and training. If you prefer, you can buy them in more formal shapes. Their abundance of flowers means that they will pull in the insects and ensure good pollination of other trees near by, which is why many orchards grow them alongside fruiting trees. The crabs themselves are smaller than the average apple and, as well as being a visual asset, are high in pectin so they make a good jelly with a rather spicy, zesty flavour.

They are all seriously hardy trees — tough as old boots, in fact — and most can cope well with pollution, too. They’re happy in a city front garden on a main road, as long as you have the room to spare.

My five favourite crab apples are these:

Malus ‘John Downie’ White apple-blossom-type flowers opening from pink buds in May, followed by large orange and bright scarlet fruit that is more oval than round. The foliage is a strong combination of yellow and burnt orange. Its habit is upright when young and it becomes more conical as it matures. Ultimate height 8m (26ft) and spread 6m.

Malus x robusta ‘Red Sentinel’ This one has scented white flowers in mid to late spring followed by masses of deep glossy red fruit that reach about 2.5cm (1in) in diameter. The fruit will hold on particularly well into the winter. The leaves are fresh green throughout most of the year and then turn a sunny, golden yellow in the autumn. Height 5-7m and spread 5-7m.

Malus floribunda If you want a prolific flowerer you can’t beat this crab apple. The branches are smothered in crimson buds in mid spring, which then open to white or pale pink flowers. The fruits are small and yellow. I particularly like the habit of this tree as it has a more rounded, densely branched crown. Height and spread 8m-10m.

Malus tschonoskii One of the best crabs for autumn colour. The large 12.5cm (5 inch) leaves turn a stunning mix of red, orange, purple and yellow in the autumn while holding on to the yellow-green fruits with a purple tinge. Multicoloured or what? It starts off as an upright tree but spreads more with age. Height 12m and spread 10-12m.

Malus x moerlandsii ‘Profusion’ This is a vigorous tree and has plenty of punch. Its sexy dark purple-pink flowers smother the branches in late spring and are followed by plenty of small cherry-sized deep red fruit. The displays are set off by purple-bronze foliage, which intensifies in autumn. Height 8-10m and spread 8-10m. Perfect for planting now.

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