Autumn Planning

Last week I spoke about sitting back and enjoying the garden and I must admit I have done this, this week. Since then I have also taken the opportunity to look back on old photographs of the garden, reflecting on how things were when we first moved in. It’s been a motivational thing to do and it has got me thinking of what projects I want to tackle next year. 

Believe it or not, Autumn is the beginning of the new year for garden planning, so now is a great time to start thinking about what you want to grow. Below is my ever-growing to-do list.

Spring flowers

For me, tulips, daffodils and alliums are my staple Spring flowers and next year will be my first Spring growing these in my cut flower garden. While you have until the end of October/November to plant, now is a good time to order them. Sarah Raven and Peter Nyseen are my go-to online sites and definitely worth a look as they often have discounts – any excuse to buy more! https://www.sarahraven.com/ https://www.peternyssen.com/

Next year I will be dedicating one of my raised beds to Spring bulbs. I’m going to plant tulips, daffodils, peonies and also pop some snowdrops in. For the garden, I’m planning to do the same, but plant in flower pots. I do love having the pots next to the front door to welcome guests, plus there’s no risk of digging them up prematurely. Once they have flowered I will then replace with later Summer flowers.

I’m also going to order some crocus and snowdrops to plant in the garden. This is a first for me, but every winter I regret not doing it when I see them pop up elsewhere. Crocus flower from February through to March and Snowdrops from January to March. Again these also should be ordered now in preparation for end of the year planting. 

Other bulbs on my list are Anemones and ranunculus. Anemones flower from March – June and ranunculus from May – July – so these are a little later but they still say Spring to me. 

Roses and Peonies

From November and throughout the winter months you will be able to buy bare root roses and peonies. I personally prefer buying them as bare roots as you are giving them the full winter months to get established and settled as preparation for the warmer months. I’ll definitely be adding more to my garden and also adding them to my cut flower raised beds for next year

Hedging and trees

Autumn/Winter is also a good time to plant hedging and trees as they are still dormant, so if you are replacing or thickening an existing hedge, now is the time to look out for early offers. This year I will be thickening our beech hedge out and adding some trees. This will be an end of year job, but I’ll share progress as and when I get underway.

Update on cutting garden

I’ve learnt so much from my first year growing cut flowers and have already started thinking about what I’ll be planting for next year- I’ll of course, keep you updated along the way. In the meantime, here’s a quick update on what’s currently blooming in the cut flower garden.