Autumn: you’ve just gotta dig it!
Don’t put your feet up. Now’s the time to grab that spade and get planting...
ANYONE new to gardening might think autumn is the time when tools can be consigned to the shed. Well, as every old hand knows, the opposite is true. Even though our plots are sliding into dormancy, this is the season for planting, whether introducing new features or bolstering established displays.
All sorts of things can be planted now, from trees to bulbs, and from vegetables to hedges. As a result of being placed in soil that is still warm from summer but moist from recent rain, plants will form a mass of roots that will enable them to burst into life as soon as warmer weather arrives in spring.
Autumn has long been the best time to plant trees, especially bare- root specimens. Lifted from the ground and sold while dormant, they might look a bit pathetic – essentially leafless sticks with roots on the end – but they will establish readily and grow more vigorously than their container grown counterparts.
Many trees are one- season wonders, so go for something that provides interest over a longer period, such as crab apples, ornamental cherries and Cercis ‘Forest Pansy’. Sorbus cashmiriana is a real cracker, with pink flowers in spring, good autumn foliage and pure white berries that last well into winter.
Bare-root trees need planting at the same depth as they were growing before being lifted from the ground – there should be an obvious ‘tide mark’ of soil on the trunk. Dig a square hole that’s twice the diameter of the root system and deep enough so the mark on the trunk lines up with the surface.
Apart from ornamental species, autumn is the best time to plant new fruit trees. Those with small gardens should go for apples, pears, plums and cherries that are naturally compact or have been grafted on to dwarfing rootstocks. Another option is to pick an espalier, fan or cordon for training against walls and fences.
Now is the perfect time to establish a hedge using two- to three- year- old bare- root plants, often described as ‘whips’ by horticulturists. Good nurseries will stock beech, hornbeam, hazel, hawthorn, dogwood and privet, along with flowering shrubs, such as escallonias, flowering currants, viburnums and philadelphus.
A single row hedge is ideal in most garden situations. Mark out its course and lay out plants, 12in23in apart, depending on variety. Either make individual holes, or dig out a straight-sided trench, 23in wide by 17in deep. Place plants against the vertical side, backfill with soil and firm. Give them a good soaking.
Most vegetables are started in spring but there are some that can deal with cooler conditions, ensuring that edible beds don’t have to lie empty all winter. Peas and perpetual spinach are among those to establish from seed, while bulbs of onions, shallots and garlic are available for planting from garden centres.
Broad beans are a must-grow veggie. Sowing in autumn will provide crops that are ready for picking several weeks before those started early in the year. More importantly, plants that reach maturity in late spring tend to avoid the attention of black fly, a sap-sucking aphid that often infests plants in summer.
Late autumn is the best time to plant tulips. Unlike most springflowering bulbs, which are suitable for setting in the ground from late summer, tulips benefit from later planting, as there’s less chance of them being hit by tulip fire, a fungal disease that disfigures foliage and prevents buds from opening.
The general rule of thumb when planting bulbs is to dig holes twoto-three times their depth. Forget this perceived wisdom when setting tulips in the ground. Aim to plant bulbs 6in-8in deep, measuring from the bottom of the bulb – planting deeply like this will help to protect them against diseases.
Either excavate individual holes or dig out a trench if planting a large group, spacing bulbs 2in-4in apart. Tulips will thrive in a sunny spot with free-draining soil. If you have clay soil, spread a 2in layer of sharp grit across the bottom of holes – this will beef up drainage and ensure bulbs don’t sit directly on wet ground.