Top Autumn Gardening Tips and Tasks

Read Time: 3 Minutes…

Written and Presented by: Adam Woolcott

Transitioning Your Garden for Autumn: Essential Preparations

There is a perception that somehow Autumn is the end of the gardening season but in truth the opposite is true. Traditionally, before garden centres and nurseries – this is when things would really get going!

More rainfall whilst the ground temperatures are still relatively warm means a lot can be done, particularly when it comes to planting and transplanting.

Once we move into late autumn, this is a great time to transplant or move plants from one part of the garden to another. Perhaps a certain shrub hasn’t enjoyed where it was originally planted or it’s too big for the space. This autumn is the perfect time to move it. Moving plants as they move into dormancy means they won’t be shocked or stressed by the new autumn conditions. They can re-establish very quickly ready to grow away next spring.

This is also an excellent time to plant bare root or root-balled plants for the same reasons. These can be in the form of roses, shrubs, fruit bushes and trees. Now is also the time to plant a huge range of spring flowering bulbs. These can be in the form of aconites or tulips – or winter bedding plants such as pansies, wallflowers and violas. You can even go for pre-grown vegetables like leeks and broccoli. Consider planting up colourful and creative pots, or in hanging baskets to banish the winter blues.

In early autumn our gardens can still look totally amazing, but inevitably as the seasons move on; plants will naturally die back, annuals will come to the end of their lifespan and the leaves will fall. Eventually, frost and ice will occur along with autumn gales and impact our gardens. Once perennials have died back, the first of your autumn jobs should be to cut these down. I recommend doing this just above ground level, giving you a chance to get between them to remove weeds and dead plants. You can then mulch around them with garden compost or well-rotted manure. This will mean that over the winter, the worms and elements can take the goodness down into the soil.

Garden Trolley – Help With Heavy Loads

Another autumn job should be to transport logs, leaves or snipped perennials. This is easy is easy with the Handy garden trolley – which contains a range of features. It comes with puncture-proof tyres, and collapsible sides to allow for carrying larger items. It can hold up to a hefty 200kg and has turntable steering which makes it a pleasure to use around the garden.

Collect Fallen Leaves from Your Garden

Talking of tidying up, the Handy blow vac is another amazing tool that will help you with numerous autumn jobs. It helps you clear away leaves in an instant, with ease. With the flick of a switch, you can adjust the blow speed from 150km/h all the way to 270km/h. Its suction mode is just as powerful and has a 10:1 mulching ratio – meaning that ten bags of leaves going into the machine will be only 1 bag going out to the 45L collection bag. It also boasts a generous 10 metres of cable – meaning you can reach every part of the garden! The mulched leaves are brilliant for making your own leaf mould, too

Spreaders – Feed your Lawn or Clear Away Ice or Snow

Finally, think about using a spreader this autumn. Handy has a great range of spreaders to suit every situation. They can be used for autumn lawn food all the way to refined salt for clearing any ice or snow. Useful for any autumn or winter jobs!

So this year don’t think about autumn as the end of the gardening season – but instead the beginning of it. Use those fine days to plant, tidy and prepare for the future and the start of something beautiful.

Happy Gardening,

Adam Woolcott

Adam has over 30 years of experience as a professional gardener and has many accolades, but is probably best known for his four Gold Medals at The Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show and his three BBC/RHS People’s Choice Awards at the show (of which he is particularly proud) which he won as one half of Woolcott & Smith.

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