Japanese maples put on an incredible display of colours if they are well-looked after, but when they dry out the leaves can turn brown and become crispy.

Speaking to the Express from his beautiful stand in the Grand Pavillion, he explained why potted trees are particularly vulnerable.

"Generally you tend to get crispy leaves with acres grown in pots," he said.

"If trees in pots get too dry, the root system starts to struggle and the tree starts to suck the moisture back from the tips of the leaves into the main body. It's self-preservation, which is why you then get the brown tips."

He continues: "And in pots it happens much more because the trees can dry out more, also because of the heat and warmth on the side of the pot. Whereas a tree planted in the ground has cooler roots. It's not always drought it can sometime be the physical heat. A spell of no rain and heat can do just as much damage.

"In many ways, littler trees have more to deal with than larger ones so they need a bit more care."

He warns spring can be more dangerous than the height of summer, with gardeners lulled into a false sense of security by cooler temperatures while young trees are quietly putting on their biggest burst of growth.

“You want a compost that holds onto moisture through the summer but is still free-draining at the same time,” he said.

“We get these really wet winters, so something that drains well is better, you just need to be a bit more vigilant with watering.

“Everyone forgets about watering in April. Over the last three or four years we’ve had almost no rain during that period, and that’s exactly when the trees are putting on eight to 10 inches of growth.

“If there’s no moisture at the roots at that stage, that’s when they start to struggle.”