Autumn jobs

Mustering the courage to brave the weather at this time of the year isn’t easy, and I don’t claim to be exempt from procrastination, but there are a few jobs at this time of the year that are worth getting wet and cold for. So, grab your wellies, thrown on a thick jumper and get out in the rain.

You may be like me… staring out of your window, reminiscing over the summer days, of the birds singing their lullaby’s as they feed their young, of the sweet smells and colour in the garden and maybe of harvesting some tasty food. As the trees lose their leaves, that can all feel like an age ago.

Any perennial winter plants you get in the ground now will make that view out of your window even more special next year, as the flowers come into bloom or the berries start to ripen. Preparing a year in advance is a big ask but you’ll thank yourself, and you wont remember that you had to leave the comfort of your home for an hour.

That’s exactly what I did today. I went to my local plant nursery and felt like a child in a sweet shop. Rows and rows of winter plants, miraculously jumping into my trolley while I wasn’t looking, all suitable for this seasons temperature and sunlight hours.

Look at filling some of the emptier areas of your garden. I have this bed, sheltered by our weeping birch, which is filled with spring and summer bulbs… but is practically empty at this time of the year.

I bought some Cyclamens to go at the front. They add a little colour and greenery, but are also very hardy and won’t struggle with our winters. They aren’t fussed about the shade they get from the tree and will go well with some snowdrops and purple primulas which I’ll be planting soon. All together, this will look great this time next year.

We definitely need something evergreen here too, so I picked up a Skimmia which will add a little bulk to this corner. It’s happy being in the shade and will bless us with buds in autumn and flowers in spring.

I’ve also planted a couple of orange wallflowers. They will add some beautiful autumn colours and compliment my Alstroemeria which is just at the end of it’s yearly bloom. I hope it’ll also hold the Alstroemeria up, as the tall stems have a tendency to fall down.

This is a good time of the year to make little additions like this, as most of your plants will be winding down for the year so we aren’t disturbing them at a critical time.

It’s also the perfect time to spread some manure if you want to get your hands really dirty.

Do keep an eye out if you have any young plants in trays. With all this rain, they fill up quickly and drainage holes can get clogged with leaves. Plants can sit in water for a short time, but too long and the plant will start to die.

When your done, hang up your tools, pop the kettle on, run a hot bath and grab a magazine… you can now rest knowing you have given yourself a gorgeous view next autumn.

I hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any plant recommendations for this time of the year, please pop them in the comments so we can all benefit from your experience.

I also upload a video to our channel each week with helpful tips and growing diaries, which can be found here.

Article written on Oct 29, 2020
Updated Oct 29, 2020