Care for your soil!

Nurture your soil year-round Leaving soil bare during winter can be detrimental. To maintain soil health:

  • Apply mulch to empty vegetable and flower beds
  • For weed-filled areas, consider covering with cardboard or wool carpet, allowing weeds to decompose naturally
  • Minimize soil disturbance by avoiding unnecessary digging, which can disrupt soil structure and beneficial organisms

Plant Bulbs

Autumn is the perfect season to lay the groundwork for a vibrant spring garden by planting bulbs. Start with daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses in early fall when the soil still retains warmth, then transition to tulips in October and November. These versatile bulbs can beautify both containers and flower beds, while crocus drifts can transform expansive lawn areas into a colourful springtime spectacle. When planting in pots, opt for peat-free compost and don't shy away from dense planting or even layering different bulbs for a prolonged and varied display. This approach ensures a succession of blooms that will breathe life into your garden as winter recedes.

Autumn Blooms for Your Garden

Start preparing for next autumn with our top selections of pollinator-friendly flowers that attract bees and butterflies during this season. Many of these plants are available in containers year-round at garden centres and can be planted anytime, as long as the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. When choosing potted plants, be sure to seek out those grown in the UK with peat-free compost. It’s a good idea to ask your local nursery or garden centre about this.

Rudbeckia
With vibrant yellow petals surrounding a dark centre, these bold flowers thrive in full sun. Leave their seed heads on during winter to feed birds and offer shelter to insects.

Asters
Easy to grow with daisy-like flowers, asters flourish in sunny borders but can also tolerate partial shade in some varieties.

Japanese Anemones
These striking white or pink blooms prefer partial shade, making them perfect for planting under trees. Once established, they spread to create larger clusters.

Cyclamen
If your garden has shady areas, autumn-flowering cyclamen will add a pop of colour. Best planted in autumn, they are easy to grow as long as they are kept out of direct sunlight.

As the leaves turn, it's the perfect moment to reimagine your garden for enhanced enjoyment in the coming year. This season presents ideal conditions for sowing spring bulbs and various other plants, nourishing your flowerbeds with mulch, and readying fresh soil for cultivation. We'll also guide you on selecting pollinator-attracting blooms for the next growing season, as well as choosing plants that stimulate and delight the senses.

Mulch

Protect and enrich your garden beds "Mulch" refers to a thick, loose covering spread over exposed soil in garden beds or containers. This protective layer serves multiple purposes:

  • Hinders weed growth
  • Improves soil moisture retention
  • Enhances soil quality
  • Gives beds a tidy appearance
  • Shields plant roots from winter's chill

Common mulching materials include: Homemade compost, wood chops, well-rotted manure and leaf mould!

Application tips: Spread your chosen mulch 5-8 cm thick, being careful to maintain space around woody plant stems.

Clearing Leaves

As autumn progresses and leaves begin to carpet your lawn, it's crucial to clear them away to maintain the health of your grass. A rake or battery-powered leaf blower can make quick work of this task. Rather than discarding these fallen leaves, consider repurposing them into nutrient-rich leaf mould for next year's garden. Create a simple leaf mould factory by piling leaves in wire cages or, if space is limited, in punctured bags that allow air circulation. This natural process will yield an excellent mulch for your plants in the coming year. However, exercise caution with leaves from rose bushes that showed signs of blackspot; these should be removed from the garden entirely, either through waste collection or disposal in your dustbin, to prevent the disease from overwintering and affecting next year's growth.

Splitting your Perennials

Autumn presents an ideal opportunity to divide thriving perennial plants that have formed substantial clumps. This process involves carefully lifting these plants and separating them into smaller sections. You can then replant one portion in its original location and use the others to expand your garden's beauty or share with fellow gardening enthusiasts. This technique is particularly effective for hardy, cold-resistant perennials such as geraniums, lungwort, lady's mantle, astrantia, and phlox. By splitting your perennials, you not only rejuvenate the plants but also multiply your garden's bounty, ensuring continued bloom in the seasons to come.