Autumn in the plantaria

The nights are certainly drawing in and it’s getting darker much earlier these days. Our Plant Manager, Andrew Pitman, gives us the latest from the plantaria and some advice for autumn gardening…

There is still plenty to do in the garden this season. The soil is warm and moist, perfect for planting. Some good housekeeping in the autumn leads to fewer problems with pest and diseases next year too.

We’ve got many varieties of fruit trees in stock at the moment as now is the ideal time to plant them. There is nothing quite like an apple picked fresh from the tree!

Autumn is the main bulb planting season for spring-flowering bulbs. We have traditional favourites like daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinth and snowdrops. Why not try something different this year? The bulb of the year is Tulip ‘Hotpants’ with unusual colouration while the daffodil of the year is the wonderfully scented, multi-headed Narcissus ‘Cheerfulness White’.

This season is also time for more mundane tasks – rake up fallen leaves regularly from borders and lawns as these can harbour pests and diseases. 

 

Raking out moss and aerating the lawn now seems like a lot of hard work but you will reap the benefits next spring as grass will have more air and light and less competition from weeds and moss. Apply a lawn food specially formulated for use in autumn as this toughens up the grass to get it through the winter months.

Although autumn signals the end of the growing year, there is still plenty to enjoy in the garden. Late flowers such as sedums, Rudbeckias and Asters, wonderful berries like Skimmia, Pyracantha and Snowberry, colourful crab apples and dramatic autumn foliage colour mean that there’s no excuse to stay indoors!

Pop in and see us if you have any queries, we’d love to see you.