IT was the Autumn equinox on Monday – which means the days are about to get a lot shorter.
Before you know it, it will be dark when you get home from work and when you get up in the morning.
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And although that means less gardening time – there’s still loads you can get in the ground or your greenhouse.
In fact, Autumn is a great time to get planting – simply because the soil is still warm but the weather is cooler – which means roots can establish well before Winter.
Whether it’s for produce or colour before Christmas – or flowers after – I’ve put together a guide on what can go in the ground now.
FLOWERS
You can always tell from what’s on sale in your local garden centre or supermarket as to what will bring you colour in the run up before Christmas.
But staples like container grown Geums, Cyclamen, Astor, Japanese Anenome, and Chrysanthemums can be bought in flower and planted now.
Plus racks of bedding plants like pansies, viola and primroses are filling supermarket shelves.
I managed to find three packs of eight viola plugs from Asda for just a fiver last weekend – which means each of the 24 plugs are only 20p.
Plus the gorgeous colour combinations will fill your garden with rainbows of colour.
And a lot of the garden centres are offering Winter Bedding packs – which takes the decision of what to buy out of your hands – and provides you with a lovely rainbow of colours for your outside space.=
Seeds-wise – you can plant sweetpea, poppies, calendula, cornflower, nemesia, forget-me-nots, and lavender under cover.
BULBS
Daffodils, crocus, alliums and grape hyacinth bulbs are good to go in September and October – as well as the more unusual large Fritalliaries and Camassia – which look really like bluebells.
But hold fire until November until you plant your tulip bulbs – they love the colder weather.
If you put them in too early, you’ll risk the change of Tulip Fire, which is a fungal disease that causes distorted leaves and spots – that look like scorch marks – on the tulips themselves.
A lot of online garden centres have big bulb sales on at the moment, so it’s worth shopping around.
Suttons Seeds are offering Sun Gardening readers an exclusive link to get 80 per cent off their bulb sales right now.
Access it now at www.suttons.co.uk/sunoffer
VEGETABLES AND FRUIT
Butterhead and Lamb’s lettuce actually like the colder weather – so under a cloche or cold frame, or in a greenhouse – sow the seeds thinly, about 1.5cm deep. Sow every 2-3 weeks for a continuous supply.
Overwintering cauliflower seeds like ‘All The Year Round’ and ‘Autumn Giant’ can be planted now – under protection.
Plus onion seeds, winter greens, garlic, pak choi, spinach and kale.
There’s a lot of fruit you can grow in pots – including cherries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.
Then wait until November for bare root season
Also in Veronica’s Column this week…
Gardening news, top tips, Plant of the Week plus a chance to win a £200 Gardening Express voucher.
Fore more gardening content and competitions follow me @biros_and_bloom
NEWS! Did you know that 22 billion carrot seeds are sown each year in the UK, and we eat our way through 700,000 tonnes of carrots annually?
This works out to be around 100 per person, and laid out end to end they would stretch 1.4 million miles – two and a half trips to the moon.
And as British growers provide 97 per cent of the carrots consumers buy in the UK, there is almost no need to buy imported carrots.
They’re also worth £290m to the UK Economy yet are one of the cheapest vegetables – with loads of nutritional benefits.
The incredible stats have been released in time for British Carrot Day on Friday – which celebrates the UK carrot growing and encourages people to buy, get creative, eat, and cook with carrots.
For more information visit www.britishcarrots.co.uk
NEWS! A whopping leaf four metres long has been grown at the Eden Project, Cornwall. Lodoicea maldivica, more commonly known as coco de mer, is native to the islands of the Seychelles and is famous for producing the world’s largest and heaviest seed.
The mature leaf has taken around ten years to develop to this stage. And over the next decade, it could reach a massive eight to ten metres. A coco de mer can live for up to 800 years, reaching up to 112 feet tall.
TOP TIP! September is the start of baby hedgehog (hoglet) season, and you may find that they need your help.
Autumn Juvenile hedgehogs are old enough to be away from their mums, but often too small to hibernate successfully.
Guidance from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society says that “if the hedgehog is a regular visitor to your garden, is only seen at night, appears active and you are prepared to feed it every night then it can be left in the wild.
But if the hedgehog goes off its food, wobbles and staggers or starts coming out in the day, then it needs extra help as soon as possible.
The best way to ensure wild hedgehogs are well-fed is to create organic wild spaces, leafy corners and log piles where they can forage for natural foods, like grubs and insects.
To supplement their diet in the wild, you can offer hedgehogs a good quality meaty hedgehog food, meaty cat or dog food or dry biscuits for cats.
NEWS! If you fancy turning your hand to growing houseplants, Unwins have launched a brand new Houseplant Seed Collection, a curated range of eight varieties that have been specially selected and bred to flourish in UK and Irish homes.
Including Asparagus Ferns, Sempervivum, Bird of Paradise and Dichondra Silver Surfer, the packs are available now in your local garden centre.
Natasha Lane, Head of Seed, for Unwins, commented: “We’re very excited to be launching a collection of houseplant seeds for the first time. It now means that it’s easier than ever to create your very own indoor jungle. Whether you’re looking to enhance wellbeing, purify the air, or simply add style to your space, our houseplant seeds are ready to grow with you.”
WIN! One lucky reader can win a £200 Gardening Express voucher to spend online. To enter, visit www.thesun.co.uk/EXPRESSVOUCHER or write to Sun Gardening Express competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. October 11, 2025. T&Cs apply
PLANT OF THE WEEK! Japanese Anemone. Blooming now, they’re graceful and tall with long stalks and single or double flowers – great for brightening up shady corners, but prefer a bit of sun. Spread by rhizomes.
JOB OF THE WEEK! If you’ve got a pond it’s time to get it ready for winter – net it before leaves start to fall and trim back any overgrown pond plants. Put a tennis ball in to help prevent freezing.
