Autumn planting

We’re backing the Horticultural Trades Association’s (HTA) annual ‘Plan it, Plant it this Autumn’ campaign to make autumn special.

During the past decade all the focus has been on spring planting, but autumn is actually a better time to plant many shrubs, trees and fruit bushes and canes as the soil is still warm and moist. Therefore plants can establish ready for next year, before the winter sets in.

A recent HTA survey suggests gardeners have forgotten autumn. This year with the cold spring it’s now time to embrace autumn gardening. Gardeners need to be aware that they don’t need to wait until next spring to do some planting.

The HTA, which we are a member of, found 41% of gardeners mistakenly thought spring was the best time to plant fruit trees and berries, and 45% believed spring bulbs should be planted in the spring when in fact autumn is the time to do both.

It’s also important for gardeners to prepare their lawns for the coming months and to ensure they look their best for the following year.  

Autumn is a lovely time in the garden centre, with the changing of the season we top up with lots of fresh new plants ready for planting in your garden.

We will have a fabulous array of late flowering hardy plants, colourful berries, wonderful autumn tints and bright evergreen shrubs in stock.

The aim of the HTA’s campaign is to encourage gardeners to continue planting throughout autumn and tap into younger gardeners’ growing interest in the pastime. 

So remember gardens aren’t dormant during the winter, there’s still a hive of gardening activities to keep you busy including planting, lawn care and looking after the wild birds that visit your plots.