6 top plants for a burst of colour in autumn
If you typically neglect your garden during autumn and winter, pledge to make a change this year. Choosing the right autumn plants can keep your outdoor space looking fresh and colourful – even when the temperatures drop.
Autumn is a prime time to plant up bulbs for next spring but you'll still want to keep that wonderful exuberant summer colour in your garden. To achieve this, go for a mixture of autumn-flowering plants – try sun-loving Chinese plumbago, a wonderful shrub with cobalt blue flowers, which you can mix with orange Helenium autumnale 'Salsa', to keep the spirit of summer alive.
Further into autumn, colour is a bit trickier to come by, but the shrub Aster x frikartii 'Monch' will provide stars of lavender blue with bright yellow centres. And try to find room for winter-flowering camellia; these bring unexpectedly exotic flowers at Christmas time – Camellia x vernalis 'Yuletide' is particularly lovely. They do need acid soil though, so you may have to fill your outdoor plant pot with ericaceous compost.
We've turned to the garden experts at BillyOh.com who have shared their top autumn-flowering plants. Whether a novice or experienced gardener, these autumn plants will help make your green areas thrive and brighten breezy autumnal days.
Cyclamen
The well-loved hero of the plant world, the cyclamen can be brought to flower from autumn through to spring. Its flowers come in red, pink and white shades and look fantastic in pots or planted under trees. Cyclamen hederifolium is the usual choice for autumn flowers as it remains relatively unscathed through the winter weather.
Pansy
A gardening staple all year round, some varieties of the pansy stop blooming when the weather gets really cold. In that case, opt for special winter-flowering pansies that keep going until late spring for a flash of colour in the garden.
Aster 'Little Carlow'
The small lavender blue flowers stand out in late summer and autumn and really come alive in the evening light. The aster likes a lot of sun and good, well-drained soil, so plant away from shady areas.
Dahlia
Though dahlias begin to bloom during the hot summer months, these flowers are at their best from August to September, bridging the gap when other perennials begin to tire. Best suited to borders, they come in a range of colours and sizes and work with almost any colour scheme.
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