What to do in the garden in autumn
As the heat of summer ebbs away and flower gives way to berry, we can still enjoy the soft radiance of morning sunshine in autumn. Garden foliage becomes splashed with fire and stems ignite to produce a colourful crescendo before the cold of winter hits.
You don't need a huge garden to enjoy a spectacular display; when space is at a premium, be selective, eschewing plants that are dull for the rest of the year, and instead plant some late-season performers.
Keep reading for 10 autumn garden ideas...
1. Follow the sun
As winter approaches, the sun moves through a lower arc in the sky, and light angles in the garden become longer and more golden. Take advantage of this by considering where the sun will hit borders or pots, aiming for it to shine through vibrantly coloured trees and shrubs such as Cotinus 'Grace' and Euonymous europaeous to spectacular effect. Grasses, seed heads and trees with beautiful bark, such as Acer griseum, look wonderful backlit by the autumn sun.
2. Plant late bloomers
In autumn, inject fresh colour and vigour into borders by planting hardy perennials in full bloom. They'll look good now and give repeat performances for years to come. The large wine-red petals set around an old-gold centre of daisy Helenium 'Indianersommer' positively blaze in sunlight, and with regular deadheading will keep going into October.
Flowering heathers bloom in pinks, purples and golds from late summer, and are great for evergreen ground cover or in pots. But no autumn garden is complete without Michaelmas daisies; the longest flowering of all is Aster x frikartii 'Mönch', with its lavender-blue petals around golden centres.
3. Introduce texture with grasses
Grasses are the glue that holds many a garden together, adding texture and shimmer through summer, then drama and colour in shades of bronze and russet from mid-August through to Christmas.
Happy in pots or borders, deciduous grasses offer the most impact; the panicums are always good value in autumn; P. virgtum 'Shenandoah' completely changes to tones of violet and purple, while 'Rehbraun' morphs to a glowing red. All the miscanthus sinensis cultivars look good, while in a pot, the caterpillar plumes of Chinese fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides 'Hameln') are spectacular. All look great with verbena, rudbeckia and late-season Salvia guaranitica.
4. Plant autumn bulbs
These can be squeezed into pots, borders or planted in the lawn to create stunning pockets of colour. Some of the best autumn bulbs include:
• Autumn crocus, Crocus sativus in purples, lilacs or mauves will give stunning displays grown in grass.
• Often confused with crocuses, colchicums are real autumn highlights, doing best in moisture-retentive soil. For something special, seek out white forms such as Colchicum autumnale var. album, which positively shines when planted beneath the canopies of trees.
• Glamour can be added with the Jersey lily, Amaryllis belladonna. Autumn rains bring out the delicately scented trumpets of pink, sometimes white, flowers in late summer atop purple-tinged stems.
• Finally, we can't talk about autumn bulbs without a nod to the flamboyant dahlia. Plant tubers in a sunny spot in mid-spring into well-composted soil mixed with a generous addition of fertiliser; protect tubers from late frost with a covering of mulch. Add stakes at planting time, securing the stems as they grow.
Keep them well-watered through summer and deadhead regularly to fully enjoy their energetic display. My favourites include Dahlia 'Julie One', 'Blue Bayou' and 'Purple Flame'. Buy from nationaldahliacollection.co.uk.
• Don't forget to plant your spring-flowering bulbs for next year. Plant daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths by the end of September, lilies and alliums in September and October, and tulips in November.
5. Fill container pots
The choice of container is almost as important as the plants you choose for them; enamel and galvanised metal buckets, terracotta, wicker, even recycled packaging, cans or bins can be crammed with autumn glories.
Japanese maples, or acers, are ideal for pots as they're slow growing and make stunning focal points. As well as being easy to look after, they'll reward you with feathery plumage all summer that slowly changes colour as the weather turns colder. You'll get a blaze of fiery reds, russet browns, oranges and butter yellows, as long as you keep them in a sheltered position and take care to water and feed regularly, repotting into a larger container every two or three years. My top choices include Acer palmatum 'Emerald Lace', 'Orange Dream' or 'Garnet'.
6. Add structure with heather and evergreens
Heathers and other evergreens such as sweet box (Sarcococca hookeriana var. digyna 'Purple Stem' has wonderful dark purple stems) or hebe (the leaves of 'Pink Elephant' flush to pink and purple as temperatures cool) add wonderful structure to container arrangements.
For a tapestry of flowering stonecrop, Hylotelephium 'Red Cauli' is sturdy and well branched with flamboyant flowers against purple grey foliage, while H. 'Ruby Glow' will trail. Ivies are also wonderful if you want to hide the edges of containers and look fabulous paired with any autumn-performing plants.
7. Pick the best annuals for autumn
Annuals can give an instant lift and an explosion of blooms. Chrysanthemums are sold in full flower – just stand the pots in position. The first hard frost will kill them off, but if you bring them inside to an unheated conservatory or enclosed porch they should flower for a few weeks. Chrysanthemum ‘Jade Green’ adds pizzazz to pots, while ‘Astro Dark’ has bronze blooms, and dark cerise pink ‘Lollipop Purple’ will light up the borders.
8. Bring structure and autumn colour to a small garden
Acers, liquidambar and amelanchier trees give a fantastic display of orange and red foliage. Even in the smallest garden, it’s worth squeezing in a small tree or large shrub to add structure. My favourite is the snowy mespilus (Amelanchier lamarckii), which earns its keep year-round, but particularly in autumn.
If your space is truly tiny, there will still be space for A. alnifolia ‘Obelisk’, or Liquidambar Styraciflua ‘Gum Ball’, a smaller form, whose autumn crimson, purple and orange maple-like leaves smell of burnt sugar when crushed.
9. Plant dogwoods for autumn foliage
Many dogwoods, such as Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, offer wonderful autumn foliage, which, once fallen, reveals brightly colourful stems. Cut these down to the base in early spring for the same effect the following year.
10. Choose the best roses for hips
Roses are magnificent year-round; if you deadhead lightly, you’ll have lovely hips right now. The best are from species roses, though ramblers and climbers produce hundreds of hips. Rosa spinosus ‘Falkland’, R. ‘Fru Dagmar Hastrup’ and R. rugosa ‘Alba’ are excellent choices. Buy from davidaustinroses.co.uk.
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