There are early signs of autumn all around and end of February and into March are a great time of the year to get into the garden. The days are still hot but the cooler mornings and evenings slow the growth of plants down. Many plants look their best during this time of the year, as there is less heat stress on the foliage and the colours begin to intensify.

Grow Waynes Favourites

The list of favourites for autumn starts with the Correa White Bells. Growing in full sun is what one would expect from their grey leaves but what makes these plants most useful in the garden, is their tolerance of shade. They grow in quite shaded conditions, but will flower more heavily in a sunny spot. They flower right through autumn covering in buds with creamy white, almost fuchsia shaped, bellflowers. After flowering just clip them to shape and the plants will become denser. Extremely versatile Correa forms a fantastic hedge or ball, so clip-clip-clip!

 

 

Who does not like an indigenous rockstar shrub? When it’s a plant for pollinators even better in my world. Flowering in Autumn and again next spring the Cape Honeysuckle has been found by a new generation of gardeners and we’re so here for it! I often recommend it as a source of natural nectar not just for bees but for the Sunbirds which are attracted to orange and red mostly but will also go for the yellow flowers. If you live in a cold zone then they need some frost protection and as with most pollinator friendly plants they are best in a mostly sunny spot.

 

 

If you love the look of lavender flowers but have too much shade there’s a solution in the grassy department. Planted along a shady border the purple flowering Lily Turf makes an easy border. I can be a bit of a lazy gardener sometimes but this is one perennial that won’t mind. They do like a soil that has loads of compost in it to retain moisture and look good all year. Just as the new leaves show late spring a heavy cutback will clean them up and then it’s plain sailing until they put on their spectacular flower show in autumn.

 

 

And lastly - Grow something different in a large pot or cascading over the edge of your pond or water feature. The autumn flush of the Fire Cracker Fountain Grass, Rusellia is worth discovering.

Gardening in autumn is all about planting as new shrubs and perennials, planted in autumn, still get root growth done to set them up for spring. My garden philosophy is that you should plant plants that look good each season so that your garden is never dull and with nothing to do.