Blooming lovely colours for autumn gardens

A WOKINGHAM garden centre firm has shared its top autumn plants, after being inspired by the Chelsea Flower Show.

Squire’s Garden Centres, which has a branch on Heathlands Road, is suggesting a range of flowers and colour schemes for residents’ own gardens this year.

It has done so to honour the

RHS show being held next month, rather than in May, because of the pandemic.

Squire’s has since asked managers across a range of stores to suggest their top five plants for an autumn sanctuary or ‘rainbow’ garden.

Some of the suggestions included:

Sedums, for their pink colours which appear only in the autumn.

Heather ‘garden girls’ shrubs, which shine red, pink and white at this time of year.

Japanese maple for their elegant, autumnal leaves.

Purpletop vervain, which not only stand out with their vibrant purple flowers but also attract bees.

Mountain ash, for its small yellow berries and leaves which turn purple, red and yellow soon.

Chris Carpenter, a plant manager at Squire’s, says autumn is the best time of year to get planting.

“The soil is warm from the summer sun and moist from the autumn rain,” he explains.

And Theresa Scattergood, plant manager in Washington, Sussex, says residents planning an autumn-themed garden should also consider benches and plants that attract wildlife.

“[A large bench] has become a symbol of one of the few places people could meet friends, family or neighbours, during the difficult covid restrictions,” she says.

To find out more about Squire’s autumn offerings, visit: www. squiresgardencentres.co.uk