Wealden Times | WT223 | Sept & Oct 2020 | Kitchen & Bathroom supplement inside

as January before you need to plant them, but by then
the ground could be frozen, or too wet. Tulips need to be
planted once the soil has cooled down, as this suppresses
some of the many viruses that they’re prone to. Woodland
bulbs such as snowdrops and anemones will appreciate
moist, humus-rich soils and a semi-shaded position, but
most other bulbs – and especially tulips, which may rot
in the wet, prefer the ground to be free-draining.
Vegetables to sow and grow in autumn
It is too late to sow many vegetables now, but quick crops
such as pak choi, spinach, chard and oriental vegetables
will be ready to pick in just a few weeks. These leafy
vegetables prefer to grow during the cooler months and
are hardy enough to harvest through the winter. You
could also sow micro-greens – basically just veg plants
sown close together and harvested at seedling stage.
Broad beans and the hardier pea varieties can also be
sown now. They will spend the winter as small plants
and start growing again in the spring. The advantage of
autumn sowing is that the plants have time to develop a
good root system, tend to be sturdier, stronger and will
be ready to harvest earlier than those sown in spring.
Onion sets (basically baby onions) and garlic can
be planted now. Again, these will spend the winter
developing roots and start growing top growth
ready to swell their bulbs the following year.
Some plants at their best in autumn:
Trees and shrubs for autumn
colour, berries and fruits:
• Malus – in variety
(Crabapples)
• Sorbus aucuparia (Rowan)
– varieties with red, pink,
orange or cream berries
• Euonymous alatus
(Wayfairing tree)
• Callicarpa bodenieri – with
weird metallic purple berries
• Pyracantha, Cotoneaster
horizontalis – scarlet
berries and foliage
• Prunus subhirtella –
autumnalis, a cherry tree
that flowers in November
and December
• Hydrangeas; paniculata – for
early autumn, followed by
mophead Hydrangeas and
the oak leaved H. quercifoia
which also has reddish leaves
• Cotinus coggyra – has
attractively coloured
leaves all year, turning
fiery scarlet in autumn
Perennials and grasses with
attractive seed heads:
• Pennisetum – fluffy,
tactile seed heads on
a medium-sized grass,
some are not hardy
• Physalis (Chinese lanterns)
– keep their lovely orange
colour well and look good
in seasonal arrangements
• Phlomis – whorls of seeds
heads on stiff stems persist
well right through the winter
• Lunaria annua (Honesty),
poppies and Nigella (Lovein-a-mist)
– very decorative
Contact Jo for border designs, planting and garden
advice: 01233 861149 hornbrookmanor.co.uk
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