Plants, books, events & buys for the month ahead
AN AUTUMN TAPESTRY
Mixing and matching the containers on your balcony or patio this month will create some beautiful scenes that can be missed if pots are left in isolation. Move wavy grasses so they mingle with the hot late colour of asters and heathers. The fiery autumn colour of Japanese maples is also more dramatic if placed near a contrasting colour. Get creative and see what combinations work best.
GET THE LOOK
It’s time to look forward to the glory of some special spring flowers as we fill pots and flowerbeds with bulbs
Kent & Stowe long-handled bulb planter £39.99 Stainless-steel planter with long handle and foot grip, marshalls garden.com.
Clear bulb vase £9.40 Fluted glass vase with a leather strap, royaldesign.co.uk.
Italian terracotta bulb bowl From £10.99 Shallow bulb-planting bowl with drainage, crocus.co.uk.
Bulb planting auger From £7.99 Made from powder-coated steel, for digging on heavy soil, waitrosegarden.com.
Hyacinth forcer £11.95 Hyacinth vase in emerald green, sarahraven.com.
Morris & Co daffodil mug £11.60 Bone china for a bulb-planting tea break, hartsofstur.com.
Personalised bulb planting kit £29.99 Handy planters for large and small bulbs given a personal touch, the-laser-boutique.com.
TEN YEARS OF GLOW WILD
One of the most spectacular garden light shows celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, with a special display to mark the anniversary. Glow Wild 2023 at Wakehurst Place, Sussex – sister garden to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – will take visitors on a memorable trail through the garden. Beautifully lit with handcrafted winter lanterns, art installations, and the UK’s largest living Christmas tree, clothed with 1,800 energy-saving lights, it’s a chance to see these famous gardens like never before. The display will run from November 21 – January 1. For tickets, visit kew.org/glowwild.
THE COLOUR OF A TRENDY GARDEN?
The USA Garden Media Group has named Cyber Lime as the Colour of the Year for gardens next year. In its 2024 Garden Trends Report it described this colour as ‘vivid, punchy Cyber lime and powerful’ and signifying the connection between nature and technology. Is your garden trendier than you realise? Maybe when cottage garden classic Alchemilla mollis starts its frothy show early next summer, you’ll have a good helping of Cyber Lime to show off!
Wish list
Beautiful asters (sometimes called symphyotrichum) for autumn glamour
‘Little Carlow’
A cool and fresh shade of violet-blue brings a semi-shaded corner to life from the end of summer until well into autum
