Plantwatch: Fleeced by the warmth, petals persist and leaves linger

Bonfire night years ago was a cold and frosty time, when trees had lost their leaves. But this November plenty of trees were in full leaf, despite all the wind and rain, and there was an impressive show of autumn colour.

This was all thanks to rains earlier in the year that kept trees in good heath, and plenty of sunshine and mild weather in the autumn, with hardly any frost before last weekend's cold snap.