Livinghouse

Autumn has crept up on us but I guess now the kids are back at school, we have to accept that it has arrived. So even though we’re hoping for an Indian summer, it’s worth giving the garden a little thought.

One of the wonderful things about Autumn is the wealth of brightly coloured flowers and shrubs available to brighten up your garden. A quick way to add colour to places where all the summer ‘brights’ have disappeared is to add some pots full of bronzes, yellows and deep reds.

Flowering plants

Chrysanthemums are an Autumn staple available in many typical seasonal colours. They’ll flower until it gets too cold so will take you nicely through the next couple of months.

Maybe blue asters, sometimes more commonly known as Michaelmas Daisies, are more your choice. They take their name from the Feast of St Michael and the Angels at the end of September, typically when they are in full flower.

Other colourful additions you could choose are cheerful pansies, delicate Cyclamen, pink-headed Sedum, Skimmia with its red berries and pretty pink heather. All will add those great touches of colour to your garden and some will continue on well into Winter.

Keep it green

If you prefer, you could make it all shades of green with grasses and ferns. Pots of these by your front or back door will add a touch of sophistication. There are many types of both of these species too so it needn’t be boring.

Hardy ferns include several of the Maidenhair varieties, the Christmas fern and the Holly fern which are quite similar to one another.

Breeze-swaying grasses

Mix it up with some grasses such as Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Panicum and Festuca. The latter is usually blue grass so would add some real interest. The others although mainly in shades of green do have some variations.

Planning for Spring

Of course it’s also time to start planning for spring. Some of our favourite spring time flowers start off as bulbs.

Think of planting drifts of daffodils, crocus or snowdrops and Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) for the early show of springtime flowers. Proud tulips for a little later and dainty Fritillary and Muscari (grape hyacinths). Or fill pots to welcome everyone coming to your front door.

Seasonal planting even if only in pots really adds interest to your garden. You’ll be surprised what a planted pot can do!