There’s still so much to do and enjoy outside right now
“The hot summer of 2025 took its toll on many gardens, and by mid-August a lot of the colour had started to fizzle out. But here’s the good news: you can still get stuck in and refresh your garden. With a bit of planning, the right plants, and a touch of TLC, you can enjoy colour, fragrance and texture well into the depths of winter – and lay the groundwork for a spectacular spring.
I’ve been growing and trialling plants professionally and in my own garden for more than 40 years, and I can tell you from experience that the late-season garden can be just as rewarding (and far less stressful!) than the height of summer. So grab a cuppa – or a trowel – and let’s dive in.
Autumn bedding – the unsung heroes
For instant impact and prolonged interest, autumn bedding is where it’s at. Many people assume bedding plants are just for summer, but the right varieties will flower all through the coldest months, cheering up even the greyest days. Here are some of my favourites:
Pansy ‘Top Wave’
This is a real game-changer. It trails beautifully, has full-sized pansy blooms and is delightfully fragrant. Best of all, in our trials it kept flowering for 10 months! It’s new, and perfect for hanging baskets, windowboxes or trailing from the edges of patio containers.
Wallflower ‘Sugar Rush’
A proper little powerhouse. These are much more compact than regular varieties, bushy, and produce masses of gorgeous, sweetly scented flowers. They start blooming in autumn, so much earlier than traditional wallflowers, and keep going right through winter into spring. Great in pots or tucked into the front of borders.
Primrose Bonneli Bicolour
If you want a pop of bold, bright colour and lovely fragrance, this one’s for you. It’s perfect for borders and containers alike, and its neat habit means it doesn’t get leggy. These plants are versatile – I like to plant them into containers or borders by the front or back door where I can enjoy them daily!
Planning for spring bulbs
Autumn isn’t just about what’s flowering now – it’s about planning ahead, and nothing delivers bang-for-your-buck quite like spring bulbs.
One of the best investments you can make right now is to get those bulbs in the ground, or into pots for patio colour. There is a trend for retailers to sell flowering spring bulbs in March and April, but this is a very expensive and short-lived way to grow them.
By selecting the right items now, you can save money and, more importantly, get the bulbs to naturalise, so they come back year after year.
If you’ve never tried layering bulbs (the ‘lasagne’ technique), give it a go. Pop the later-flowering bulbs at the bottom of the pot, mid-season ones above, and early ones on top. You’ll get a pot that delivers waves of colour for weeks on end, performing like an endless firework display on your patio.
Composting and feeding
It sounds obvious, but you’d be amazed how many problems in container gardening come down to poor compost or lack of nutrition. Try to use a premium compost. My go-to is the YouGarden Premium Professional. It’s rich, peat-reduced, retains moisture well and has the structure needed for great root development.
Don’t cut corners here – your plants can only be as good as the compost they’re growing in. Feeding is also just as important. Many plants in pots run out of steam because they’ve used up all the nutrients. A regular boost with a balanced fertiliser makes a massive difference.
Keep an eye on water – even in winter!
One of the biggest mistakes gardeners make in autumn and winter is assuming they don’t need to water. While we may not be basking in the sun anymore, cool winds and low humidity can dry out pots surprisingly quickly. I check all my containers weekly – even in December.
Stick your finger into the compost. If it’s dry 2.5-5cm down, it’s time for a drink. Watering in the morning is best, so any excess moisture evaporates off the leaves by nightfall, reducing the risk of rot.
And with watering in mind, a couple of other tips. Always remember, the containers you use for growing plants must have drainage holes so any excess water can escape and not drown the roots of your plants.
Also, where plants are under the canopy of a door or generally covered, they will tend to dry out and struggle. Your perfect pair of bay trees that might be either side of your front door need to be watered all year round, so if you place them under a covered porch, they will wither and die if you don’t keep an eye on them!
A little mulch goes a long way
As you tidy borders and plant your autumn and winter displays, it’s worth finishing with a top dressing of fish, blood and bone fertiliser and a good layer of mulch. Whether you use bark chips, composted leaves, or homemade garden compost, it will help retain moisture, regulate temperature and suppress weeds.
I also find any plant that is marginal in terms of hardiness will especially welcome an extra thick layer of mulch to protect its vulnerable stems and roots over the winter months, and by doing that you increase the chance of them successfully overwintering.
As you are planting, feeding and mulching, feel free to tidy up beds and borders but try and do it with a light touch, as leaving some seedheads, stems and evergreen foliage gives your garden winter structure and offers much-needed food and shelter for wildlife. Frosted seedheads on grasses or sedums can also be truly beautiful in midwinter too.
The joy of winter gardening
Why bother gardening through the cooler months? Because, quite simply, it lifts the spirits – I
certainly find that’s the case! Whether it’s the scent of a primrose or wallflower on a frosty morning, the bright face of a pansy outside your door, or the thrill of bulbs bursting into life in February, these moments remind us the garden is always changing and growing.
And let’s not forget the benefits for us. Gardening is the perfect gentle exercise, great for our mental wellbeing, and a wonderful excuse to get outdoors for a breath of fresh air, even when the weather isn’t pictureperfect. So, don’t put your tools away just yet. With some forward planning and the right plants, your garden can keep thriving all the way through to spring.”
