ACCORDING to the Met Office we could be in for the coldest winter in 35 years and it certainly felt like the start of a cold snap on Wednesday. More records going for a Burton, then. The next to be smashed might well be on Monday with the biggest supermoon in 70 years and of course October was the driest October for 65 years.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

This coupled with unseasonably warm temperatures means the leaves are spectacularly colourful. As daylight hours shorten, plants prepare for the winter months by reducing chlorophyll production, which allows other colours to show through.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

Then we had extremely light winds, until recently, so the leaves have stayed on longer giving a glorious display and range of colour.

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The BFG meets an LFG (Little Friendly Gardener) at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

Nowhere more so than at Harlow Carr in Harrogate.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

Always special, the Royal Horticultural Society's (RHS) most northerly outpost opened in 1946 under the care of the Northern Horticultural Society.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

The society leased 10.5 hectares of mixed woodland, pasture and arable land from Harrogate Corporation; in 1950 it opened the botanical gardens as a trial ground to assess how plants grow in northern climates.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

The RHS merged with the Northern Horticultural Society in 2001 and acquired Harlow Carr. Since then, much has changed. The main borders have undergone a stunning redesign and the annuals meadows have been themed with willow sculptures. The woodland has been regenerated and now includes a rhododendron glade full of spring-flowering bulbs.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

Harlow Carr is one of only four RHS gardens in the country. The most scenic route there from town is through Valley Gardens, which is a treat in itself.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

But if the Met Office is right and we're in for the coldest winter in 35 years, you'd better be quick to enjoy this amazing display of fiery colour.

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Autumn at RHS Harlow Carr. Picture: Matt Clark.

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate, HG3 1QB. Opening times until February 28 are 9.30am to 4pm. Last entry is one hour before closing.