- After the mixed weather we’ve had of late some of our pots, containers, baskets and beds have become a bit tired and in need of an overhaul to bring some fresh colour and brightness to our gardens and patios. Hopefully we’ll be treated to some better weather with higher temperatures for the weeks ahead to give us a good opportunity to get out into the garden and revamp containers and beds with some wonderful, long lasting flowering & foliage plants that will last well into the end of Autumn
- At this time of year there’s a great selection of long lasting plants that are really colourful and even some that are somewhat quirky. Amongst the most popular are Cyclamen, these are a hardy plant and are great in pots, containers, hanging baskets and in beds. They come in a range of colours - red, pink, burgundy, maroon and white being the shades most often seen and each plant produces a good amount of flowers over a long period and are a real welcome burst of colour and fragrance in Autumn & Winter. Make sure they don’t get over watered, probably best to water them in the morning when required as this allows them to dry a little during the day rather than have them sitting in wet compost overnight.
- Another popular plant that are used in Autumn and Winter planting, that are a real stand out in containers, are ornamental chillies or capsicums. These are excellent for a strong pop of colour in a container arrangement. There are a good few different types and colours of red, yellow, green and purple. They’re very easy to grow and will last till late Autumn or early Winter - up until a hard frost and look particularly well mixed with some Garden Girl Heathers trailing ivies and pansies or violas
- Another excellent addition for containers at this time of year are some of the silver foliage plants, the likes of Helichrysum, calocephalus, senecio and one of my own favorites Angels Wings, these silver leaved plants act as a great contrast and help show off some of the other colourful plants - great combined with the ornamental chilli plants and cyclamen. They take very little minding and are easy to grow either in containers or beds. The leaves on the Angel wings have an almost velvety feel and should hold the colour all year round unless there’s a severe, prolonged cold spell but worth growing each year if needed.
- Other staples of later Summer & Autumn bedding are Violas and Pansies which are easy to grow, last for ages and give a great show of colour - Some violas I planted last winter are in full flower at the moment and looking really well - great longevity. Plant them with some good compost and give them a liquid feed and with some regular deadheading they’ll last for months. Garden Mums or Chrysanthemums are another popular Autumn plant for long lasting colour
A few jobs for the week ahead;
- Use netting or fleece to protect blackberries and autumn raspberries from birds
- Keep camellias and rhododendrons well watered through late summer while their flower buds are forming
- Deadhead roses & Dahlias to keep them flowering and looking tidy
- Summer prune wisteria by shortening all long side shoots to about 8 inches
- Prune lavender once flowering is over to maintain a compact, bushy shape, but avoid cutting into old wood
- Tackle vine weevil infestations by watering pots with Bug Clear Ultra - this kills and prevents further infestations