Autumn Planting
Water-wise gardening; get drought-ready
Plant these varieties now so their roots can establish before spring. Autumn planting increases drought tolerance, reduces the need for staking and often gives larger plants compared to those planted in spring. In addition, some varieties need to be planted by autumn in order to guarantee flowers this coming spring.
I have selected a range of plants that are fully hardy, relatively slug-tolerant, and that will grow in our local soil over winter (but see the appropriate section below for plants that can handle spots that get water-logged).
These mature shrubs will all benefit from being planted in autumn. I recommend planting the Fuchsias in a spot that is shaded from the afternoon sun to give some protection from future heatwaves.
These evergreen plants provide winter interest when everything else has died back.
These hardy, herbaceous (not woody) plants all benefit from from being planted in autumn and they retain some leaves over winter so you can see where they were planted.
These plants are best planted in the autumn because they flower very early in the year, which is great for us and for early-emerging pollinators.
Many biennials need to be planted by autumn to flower in the following spring.
These plants can all handle soils that get wet over winter and will definitely benefit from being planted in autumn so their roots can establish.
These herbs can be planted in the ground or in pots in autumn.
These varieties will all benefit from being planted in autumn, but make sure you note / mark where they are planted because they die down over winter and can be forgotten.
