Autumn is an important gardening season and especially good for planting shrubs, perennial, fruit and bulbs. In autumn the soil is both warm and moist, ideal conditions for planting. With water being crucial in helping plants establish themselves, autumn with its cooler climate and higher rainfall means we can water less.
So what should you plant this Autumn? Basically anything that is hardy! Any hardy plant planted this autumn will be able better established giving a better display the following year.
Our Top Shrubs, Perennials & Fruit To Plant This Autumn
Aucuba Japonica An evergreen shrub with attractively variegated, yellow spotted green leaves. It has a dense, rounded habit and is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, including shade.
Fatsia Japonica An evergreen shrub with exotic, tropical looking leaves. They are strong, tough and will grow in most situations, but looks its best in light shade and good moist soil.
Fuchsia 'Tom West' A deciduous hardy fuchsia with striking variegated foliage, that becomes redder in the sun. The beautiful flowers bloom from early summer to autumn demanding attention. Perfect for patio pots.
Helleborus x Hybridus 'Viv Victoria' With dark purple flowers sitting above the bright green foliage, it is showpiece throughout the winter months, flowering from September right the way through to April. Being compact it is suitable for planting in patio containers and bed or boarder.
Crocosmia 'George Davison' Adding a real splash of colour this perennial produces spectacular sprays of orange buds which burst open into bright, golden yellow flowers. Easy to care for and attractive to butterflies it is a fantastic boarder plant.
Strawberry 'Albion' An everbearer, producing soft red strawberries from early summer to autumn. Heavy cropping and disease resistant, 'Albion' begins cropping in June and continues in flushes until the end of October! Each plant is capable of producing 450g (1lb) of tasty fruit each year.
Rhubarb 'Victoria' An old strain of rhubarb that produces high yields of red flushed green stalks, which are not stringy. Wonderfully tarte, with an apple-gooseberry flavour. It is also an excellent variety for forcing.
Please see our Spring Flowering Bulbs Blog for our favourite bulbs to plant this autumn for a fantastic spring display.