As we venture into Autumn, our thoughts turn to preparing for colder, shorter days and a shutting down of sorts as we begin to prepare for winter.
But rather than giving up on our gardens, October and November are months that can bring many rewards, from unexpected scents, to vibrant colour and drama.
Create impact with trees
Bring an architectural beauty to your autumn and winter garden with trees
such as Acer Griseum with it’s stunning peeling copper bark. This beautiful tree attracted incredible attention used in my RHS Hampton court garden, A Four Season Sanctuary.
Another striking tree great for winter interest in smaller gardens is Prunus Serula, the Tibetan cherry, with its glistening mahogany bark.
Introduce shrubs and smaller trees
While Hazel is a native tree and great early source of nectar for bees and butterflies, with the familiar catkins known as lambs tails.
Abeliophyllum distichum, or White Forsythia, is a lovely variation on the familiar yellow flowering shrub. This fragrant white/pale pink blush variety is great for early emerging bees, such as bumble bees and solitary bees.
I also love the Viburnum x bodnantense. Its intense scent of spice drifts on the wind and takes you by surprise, giving hope for the coming spring after a long winter
Find flowers for colder months
Hellebores come in many subtle shades and provide pollen rich flowers for bees and a much-needed show of flowers that start from January.
Cyclamen give a great look and feel to the underplanting of shrubs and trees and is loved by all manner of hibernating species of butterfly, such as peacocks, small tortoiseshell and Comma moths.
These plants, trees and flowers, as well as giving vital support to wildlife, give us vital support too, as winter can seem to last a long time here in the UK. The scents, colours and the wildlife they bring into your garden are a medicine for the soul.
Calendar
- Leave out some meaty pet food for Hedgehogs as they prepare to hibernate.
- Don’t rake up your leaves this year. The amount of wildlife that depends on dead leaf cover will surprise you.
- Mulch your beds with your homemade compost.
- Plant late winter and spring flowering bulbs.
- Make a pumpkin pie.
- Feed the birds. They will reward you with their presence.
Working from his studio in the shadow of inspiring Anglesey Abbey, RHS award winning landscape designer Tim Jennings creates stunning outdoor spaces to suit the smallest courtyard to the grandest country home.
Feel free to reach out to Tim, at tim@timjenningsdesign.co.uk or call 07931 278692 for a personal consultation.
