Stepping into colourful October

You will be fortunate when reading this if you have managed to keep some of your summer bedding plants, pots and hanging baskets looking cheerful. A great deal depends on the weather: while the sun is still shining and chilly frosts have held off, the late summer season can be extended. But the evenings are drawing in and the days of daily watering have come to an end. Watering can be therapeutic, but it’s also quite a relief to have one less task at this time of year!

Autumn can be full of colour. Leaves are turning more vibrant now before the big drop. Trees can look stunning, especially with sunlight shining through. Acers (both in tree and shrub form) are especially impressive with their fiery shades of leaves, often appearing to be luminescent. The foliage of many deciduous shrubs will also change colour before leaf-fall and even some evergreens will have added autumn tints.

Dwarf conifers are excellent plants in a border. Ideally plant now so that the roots are well established before next summer – conifers do not appreciate dry soils when they are young. They come in all shapes and sizes, but to my mind the best are the golden varieties which will cheer up a bed even in the depths of winter.

For pots, planters and hanging baskets you have plenty of options after summer bedding plants are removed. Violas look delicate but are remarkably weather-proof as they will bounce back after inclement weather and need less dead-heading than the their larger cousins the pansies. Bud-bloomer calluna heathers, cineraria silverleaf, gaultheria procumbens and underplanted dwarf narcissi are ideal fillers.

If you have a small gap to fill almost anywhere, try a heuchera. There is a huge range of bright and intense colours which will give ever-present colour, even in shady areas.

David Hogg

Buckland Nurseries