Get ready for Autumn in the garden with these simple activities and help wildlife at the same time.

Climate Change has rather focused people’s imagination on planting trees. The science being that trees lock in carbon as they grow thus removing it from the atmosphere. But not everyone has the space or money or time to look after a tree at home and while there are plenty of schemes that you can donate money to for others to plant a tree this option isn’t for everyone.

Whether you have a garden or not there are some fun things to do in preparation for Autumn that will help the environment and your local wildlife too.

You might be thinking that Autumn is the end of the year and hence the end of the growing season. And it is, sort of………… IF you want to plant a fresh load of carrot seeds, that might be better left until spring; but the gardeners year doesn’t have a beginning or an end just seasons; there is always something to be getting on with now.

So, Autumn is a fabulous time to give nature or your table a little boost.

Try these things you can do now.

Autumn flowering plants.

September and October are ideal months to plant out new plants so they settle in before winter. Choose flowering plants that are good for pollinators in late summer and autumn. This will give bees and late butterflies and moths a source of nectar and extend the flowers around for these species. The RHS website and Wildlife Trust are good places to go for recommendations for what is good to plant. My favourites are Sedum, Heleniums, and Michaelmas Daisies (Asters). Look out for the ‘RHS plants for pollinators’ bee picture on plant labels at the garden centre.

Choose spring flowering bulbs

The easiest way of getting lots of spring colour is to use bulbs – snowdrops, early flowering crocus and small daffodils (narcisi) are a great way to provide nectar for bees and other insects early in the year. Many bulbs can be planted in pots so you don’t need a patch of garden for this. If you haven’t grown bulbs before, this is a great article to show you how.

Herbs

One idea my children came across online while the schools were closed was to plant up some herbs in a pots grouped by what you will use them for! They have chosen herbs that are good for pizza and pasta meals!

Wildlife activities

Choosing plants that flower over a long period or lots of different plants so you have flowers through the year for bees and other pollinators is a great step to helping wildlife. BUT if you have a little bit of time and patience, instead of just inviting in the visitors you can create space for wildlife to live in your garden all year round. This is far more valuable. This is habitat creation. And it is really very simple.

Making sure you have flowers that are good for pollinators is a great start – that’s like having a great new restaurant that is always open on your neighbourhood! But for animals and birds to be comfortable in the neighbourhood they also need shelter, food and water. They will also appreciate a quiet, undisturbed area and a nice comfortable temperature – not full sun or exposed to draughts. Much like us!

• build a bug hotel/ stack some logs to create a home for beetles
• leave an area of grass to grow tall – this will help caterpillars and beetles overwinter. You could also plant spring bulbs in rough grass areas for early spring nectar.
• encourage birds to visit and nest with a birdfeeder and water. Plant shrubs with berries for a natural supply of food.
• If you think you have a hedgehog don’t kill the slugs and snails with pellets – the hedgehog will thank you for it! See the Wildlife Trusts website for plans to build a hedgehog house.
• If you have space – make a small pond. Any area of open water will be appreciated by insects and birds and small mammals especially when the weather is hot and dry.

If you would like some more ideas have a look at this Gardener’s World article.

As with all gardening please be responsible:

• Don’t take plants from the wild – buying cultivated stock protects our wildlife;
• Use peat free compost – peat bogs are part of the fight to slow climate change to lock carbon into soils, as home gardeners we shouldn’t be supporting the continued extraction of peat for plants;
• Please buy plants grown in the UK or which have been imported under schemes to protect our flora and fauna. If plants come in from overseas they must go through quarantine to make sure we don’t import nasties into this country. If it isn’t obvious where a plant has come from, challenge the seller.

I’m an enthusiastic amateur gardener that is fascinated by the wildlife that visits and lives in our garden. Your local Wildlife Trust and the Library are fantastic sources of information for making space in our gardens for nature.

Have fun in your garden this weekend. x