Gardening Time: Time to put the garden to bed for winter - The Leamington Observer

Gardening Time: Time to put the garden to bed for winter

Leamington Editorial 30th Sep, 2022   0

AUTUMN is the time to put the garden to bed for the winter, writes James Iles.

So while you’re harvesting your apples, plums and pears, take the time to have a long look at your whole garden design and think has anything outgrown its home?

Or would one plant look better next to another plant?

Now is the ideal time to lift and shift that perennial that’s crowding out its neighbours or the shrub that’s bullying your border.

A Cotinus ‘Grace’ smoke bush. Picture by James Iles.

This is because they have finished the main growing season but the soil is still warm enough for them to re-establish a good root structure before the winter.




Deciduous trees and shrubs should be moved after their leaves have fallen and, similarly, now is a good time to plant new trees and shrubs, in line with your re-design perhaps!

Some perennials will need cutting back, tidying up and maybe dividing too.


This can be done by splitting them with either a sharp spade or by using two forks to prise apart the crowns, depending on your preference.

The resulting smaller plants make a cost-free alternative to new plants and you can repeat designs around the garden.

Plant spring bulbs

While you’re digging your borders and shifting shrubs around why not take the opportunity to plant some spring bulbs.

You can start planting Daffodils and other narcissi from August and crocuses and snowdrops are among the first to be planted though spring bulbs like tulips and hyacinths must wait until October to November ideally.

Tulips must get good drainage too so are often better potted up with plenty of gravel in the bottom of the container.

Think of contrasting schemes that will flower at the same time (check labels for approximate flowering periods) like yellow narcissi with blue grape hyacinths or red tulips with some forget-me-knots.

There is an array to choose from in garden centres, DIY stores and online right now and the quicker you buy them the more choice you’ll get.

Lawn care

Autumn is also ideal for laying new lawns from turf or seed as there is traditionally as the soil is still warm enough while the heat of summer, which will have threatened to scorch new lawns, has passed.

Make sure the soil is not boggy underfoot before laying turf or it will not take.

Give existing lawns a refresh by scarifying the moss and thatch out with either a spring-tine rake or a long-handled scarifying tool.

Lawn care – Aerating your turf.

An easy way to tidy away the proceeds is to run your mower over the debris on a higher blade setting.

Next, work over any compacted areas with a garden fork or use an aerator.

This can be hard work but it’s worth to get air back around the roots of the turves.

Apply a ready-mixed top dressing which in turn encourages better rooting and thicker grass.

Level out any dips on your lawn with top dressing and some grass seed and repair tatty edges by cutting them out in a large square and turning them inwards before repairing the patchy side of the turf.

Fantastic foliage

If you want to make an immediate impact with some stunning autumn foliage try shrubs like barberries, cotinus ‘Grace’ – the smoke bush, Japanese maples like Acer palmatum or perennials like crocosmia.

Finally, remember to bring tender plants in to your greenhouse, conservatory or even window sill to protect them from the threat of frosts and, as leaves fall, compost them, keep them off the crowns of perennials and rake them off the lawn when possible.

After all that, you can relax and enjoy a winter break, and rest assured your garden is ready for its winter break too.

But don’t worry, it won’t be long before you’re longing to see green shoots of early flowers begin to emerge next Spring and do it all over again.

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