Autumn is upon us, a great time for both planting and tidying in the garden. From seeds to bulbs to one of our most popular bedding plants for autumn (read on to find out what it is), we have plenty to share with you this month.
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Autumn seed sowing
Seed sowing isn't just for springtime! Autumn is actually a perfect time for sowing quite a few things.
In the veg patch, winter salads and oriental greens can still be sown now, as well as some varieties of pea, followed by broad beans in late October to early November. You can also sow hardy and half hardy annual flower seeds now, including wildflowers. See our growing guide below for some examples. Sowing these now will allow them to take off more quickly in early spring, leading to earlier flowers - which also means more sources of nectar for our valuable pollinators too.
Autumn is also one of the top times for starting (or patching) a lawn from seed. We sell a variety of different grass seed mixes in our shop to suit different conditions and requirements. If you need any advice, just ask!
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Now in - Wallflowers!
One of our autumn favourites is in now - the humble but also quite amazing Wallflowers. They may not look like much now, but get a bunch of these planted up in the garden and you will be in for a treat come early spring next year. They provide a welcome pop of colour, sweet fragrance and an early source of food for pollinators. They also go delightfully well with spring bulbs.
We will have bare rooted wallflowers (sustainably packaged in newspaper) available for the next few weeks, in a range of beautiful colours. We also have six-packs of 'Sugar Rush' dwarf wallflowers, perfect for a pot or window box.
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Bulb planting time
With shorter, cooler days comes the time to start planting spring bulbs. We still have a great selection available, including favourites such as Narcissus, Tulips, Alliums and Muscari, as well as some more unusual offerings. Most bulbs can be planted from now through to late autumn, but Tulips are best done in November.
For those new to bulb planting, or anyone wanting to brush up on their know-how, we have an advice sheet on our website, which also includes lists of bulbs for shady and sunny spots and for pots. We also have a guide to planting a 'bulb lasagne', a great way to layer bulbs for a long-lasting display.
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Onions, garlic and shallots - oh my!
Moving on to the edible bulbs now! Those with a veg patch may be interested in our selection of onion and shallot 'sets' and garlic bulbs, available in the Riverside shop now.
These can be planted from now until the end of the year. Once established, they will send up a small shoot and then sit quietly over the winter, waiting to burst into speedier growth in early spring. Come summertime, you should have a delicious crop ready to be harvested. Want some more pointers on growing these? Click below to read our blog.
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Happy to help.
If you have any questions at all then please feel free to contact us, we'd love to hear from you!
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