The Autumnal Floral Garden - Things to do at this time of year

by Ed Gardiner

Add plants for autumn interest
Create a striking feature in your borders by using some plants that look good during the autumn months. One of the best plants to choose is Sedum spectabile 'Brilliant' which produces masses of flat, bright pink flower-heads on upright stems with succulent, glaucous leaves. Grow sedums in full sun in a well-drained soil and divide every few years to improve flowering. Other plants which are also good at this time of year include ornamental grasses, heleniums and perennial asters, Michaelmas daisies.

Plan for spring
Plant up patio pots or borders with erysimum, more commonly known as wallflowers, for a cheery spring show. Although they can be grown on their own, try planting tall-growing tulip bulbs in a contrasting colour first and planting the wallflowers over the top. The tulips will then grow up through them to provide an extra layer of height and colour.

Deadheading
Deadhead roses as the blooms fade, cutting off the flowers just above the uppermost leaf on the stem. Trim back lavender bushes after flowering to remove the old blooms and shoot tips, taking care not to cut back too heavily into any old wood. Removing faded flowers from perennials and annual plants will also ensure a continued display of blooms.

Attend to bedding
Give bedding displays, hanging baskets and pots a little attention to ensure their display lasts well into autumn. Pick over plants twice a week to remove any faded blooms, keep watering daily and control pests when you find them. Any tender plants you want to save for next year can also be potted this month, so they are established and ready to bring under cover when the weather turns cooler.

Support perennials
Put plant supports around tall, late-flowering perennials to prevent them from being damaged by autumn winds. Create your own plant support with our step-by-step guide to making a willow obelisk.

Greenfly checks
Look out for greenfly on winter-flowering pansies and other plants. Treat with a suitable insecticide.

Deadhead roses
Give roses a final deadheading when the blooms have faded and shorten tall stems slightly to reduce wind rock. However, leave those that have developed hips for some extra autumn colour.

Hardwood stem cuttings
Take stem cuttings of roses in early September by pushing cut stems straight into the soil in a nursery area of the garden, where they can be left to root and develop for about a year. Most types of rose can be propagated from cuttings, especially the rambling types. Just take a length of stem, removing the soft tip above a leaf joint, and cut below a joint at the base, removing all but the top three leaves. Then push the 30cm (12in) cutting into the soil to about half its length.

Lilies
Buy lily bulbs as soon as you find them for sale and plant them straight away. Propagate Asiatic lilies, such as Lilium 'Angela North', L. 'Ariadne' and L. 'Enchantment' by picking the small bulbils from their leaf joints and growing them on. Plant them in trays of compost and leave them to develop into new plants.

Gladioli
Enjoy gladioli spikes in the garden or cut them for displays in the house. Spray plants with a suitable insecticide if thrips start to be a nuisance. When flowering is over, the corms can be lifted, cleaned, labelled and stored carefully for planting out again next spring.

Dahlias
Give large dahlias an extra feed during August to promote strong, healthy growth. Regularly tie them to their supports to prevent the stems from breaking in the wind, deadhead garden displays and cut blooms to enjoy in the house.

In the Greenhouse - Cuttings
Finish taking cuttings of fuchsia, heliotrope, verbena, coleus, argyranthemum and other tender plants, which can be over-wintered on frost-free windowsills. Discover the best way to propagate tender plants with our guide to taking pelargonium cuttings.

Bulbs
Look out for indoor bulbs such as lachenalia and veltheimia, for autumn planting and daffodils that are prepared for early flowering at Christmas, such as Narcissus 'Fortune', N. 'Cragford', N.'Golden Harvest'. Start watering dormant cyclamen pot plants which have been left to die down for a rest. Freesia corms can also be planted in pots now for early, fragrant blooms next spring.