16:16 - 07 September 2010
Autumn Gold
When it comes to garden plants autumn can be one of the most stunning seasons. Not only are most garden borders still bursting with late flowering perennials, but also as the light changes and the temperature starts to drop towards winter, garden plants are starting their preparation for slumber. It’s the start of the fabulous displays of autumn foliage that you can see throughout wooded and tree filled gardens and woodlands but it is not just trees and shrubs that are changing through the seasons. The autumn can have a different effect on different plants, many will lose their leaves or die back completely, but even failsafe garden evergreens can start to show different colour hues as autumn progresses.
Flower and Foliage Power
If you don’t have much autumn interest in your garden then it’s a good time to rectify this. Autumn is the perfect season for planting, so choose some deciduous garden worthy trees or shrubs and plant them now for instant impact this season and for years to come. If your summer planters have finished them give them a makeover to brighten them up. Autumn bedding is widely available at garden centres and nurseries during September. Look out for vibrant pink hardy cyclamen, ornamental cabbages, dianthus, pansies and pretty violas all of which will make an instant colourful display.
Don’t disregard the foliage plants though. This year one of the star performers at the RHS Flower Shows were the Heucheras. After some clever breeding by the plant experts there are a wonderful array of foliage colours in these beautiful plants. Use them creatively in contemporary containers and within the garden borders to create a striking and colourful display. Heucheras are useful for shady areas of the garden, they are hardy and most have attractive flower spikes in early summer and form a domed shaped cushion of leaves. Plant them at the front of the flower border too for colourful cushions of foliage that remain all winter and burst into life with spikes bearing dainty pale summer flowers that dance in the breeze.
Other great plants for autumn bedding include the evergreen herbs such as thyme, sage, rosemary and even semi evergreen plants such as lavender. Use these for contrasting textures in containers and underplant them with a variety of spring flowering bulbs such as crocus to extend the season of interest. You can continue to harvest the edible herbs as required over the winter. You can also replant these herbs into the garden in spring or replant into fresh compost in a larger container as they mature.
Ready for planting
Gardeners can really plant to their heart’s content this autumn. After a wet and warm summer the soil is in the very best condition to encourage roots of newly planted trees, shrubs, perennials and bulbs. If you plan to plant anything this season do it sooner rather than later, the longer the roots have to establish into the warm, moist garden soil, the better they will thrive through the winter to give a fabulous display in spring.
Planting tips
Improve the soil before planting by digging in a quality soil conditioner. Remove any weeds, debris or large stones to give the roots of your new plants plenty of room to grow.
Dig a hole at least twice the size of the root ball and loosen the sides so that new roots can easily grow into the surrounding soil.
Mix in some quality planting compost into the planting hole, this will provide the best conditions for planting.
Add some Bone Meal, which contains plant nutrients and supports and encourages healthy root establishment.
Water thoroughly after planting and then mulch with a decorative chipped bark.
Keep watered throughout any dry spells and keep the immediate area around your plants free from weeds.
