Autumn BeddingNow the summer has come to an end, even the most hardy summer annuals will be ready to pull out now, but don't despair as there are still plenty of brightly coloured flowers, berries and foliage to liven up your garden over the winter months.
Cyclamen - Although most people think of Cyclamen as being an indoor autumnal crop, there are now a few varieties of Mini Cyclamen that will give a vibrant display of colour outdoors almost up until Christmas. Cyclamen 'Miracle' is available from mid to late August, Cyclamen 'Laser' becomes available a bit later in the season and also lasts longer.
They are suitable to go in the garden but will give a better performance is used in tubs, planters and even hanging baskets. Try to keep them on the dry side and dead head regularly to prolong their season.
Polyanthus & Primrose - A very popular old favourite that gives a riot of colour from now up until December and tends to keep coming in flushes into the springtime. Where possible, it is always a good idea to keep dead heading Primroses, as the flowers fall onto the leaves and rots down, in turn causing the leaves to rot too.
Myosotis (Forget-me-Not) - Everybody knows the common blue Myosotis but it also comes in white and pink. They give a lovely show with mid-green leaves forming bushy compact plants covered in tiny flowers. The blue are especially good for wild gardens as they self seed very easily.
Pansy & Viola - Pansies and Violas are a very reliable autumn bedding option, ideal for brightening up borders, tubs and hanging baskets. As with all autumn bedding, Pansies will perform better if regularly dead headed, it stops the flowers rotting back and wasting energy on seed production, so it produces more flowers. There are lots of different varieties available with some of them having faces up to 9cm (over 3 inches) across.
Cherianthus (Wallflower) - Wallflowers can be bought now in packs, which give them a good strong start with their own root ball, most though are bought in bags. They are freshly dug and left loose in their bags, which makes them cheaper, but you do want to be planting them straightaway.
Nearly all of the plants you purchase in autumn are to flower in spring, however Cherianthus 'Aida' are a variety that will flower both before and after Christmas.
Others - There are lots of different shrubs and perennials produced at this time of the season, in small pots especially for short term growing in tubs and baskets. Some will be in flower or berry for example Skimmia japonica, Gaultheria mucronata (Pernettya), Winter Flowering Heather (Erica), Bud Flowering Heather (Calluna).
Others are used for their colourful foliage such as Lonicera nitida 'Bagesen's Gold', Festuca glauca, Heuchera 'Purple Palace' and Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow'. Come the end of spring these plants will be ready to be potted up or planted into the garden to continue growing.
Conifer - There are a lot of different types of conifer suitable for all areas in your garden including tubs, with bright foliage colour and interesting textures. This October will see the 5th Annual National Conifer Week, 3-11 October, organised by The Association of British Conifer Growers.
If you miss planting any of the autumn bedding, don't worry a similar range will be on sale again for the spring market.
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