AUTUMN PLANTING
There are lots of jobs to do in the garden at this time of year not only to prepare for the winter months ahead, but to ensure you get the best out of your garden all year round
Planning ahead is essential to ensure that every season sees a highlight in your garden – autumn flowering shrubs and carefully chosen evergreens can lighten and lift gardens at this time of year, while plenty of well-chosen bulbs will see a resurgence of beautiful colour next spring.
Now is the time of year for bulb planting and at Holden Clough there are some fabulous bulbs to add spring colour to your garden including different varieties of daffodil plus the same variety of allium that can be seen in its full glory each spring on Clitheroe’s A59 roundabout that is sponsored by Holden Clough.
Autumn planting should be ongoing at this time of year – this can be done up until November. In spite of winter frosts Holden Clough produces hardy plants specially reared outdoors to withstand our cold, wet northern weather so pop in and see John and Kate Foley and the Holden Clough team, who will advise on what will work best in your garden.
Celebrating yet another win, John and Kate took the gold medal at the recent Harrogate Autumn Flower Show in the Best Autumn Perennial Display category. And speaking of autumn perennials Holden Clough has a special offer of three for £10 on selected perennials – a superb opportunity to add great-value seasonal colour.
October is also a time that can see prolonged colour in our gardens as a result of cutting back earlier in the year.
The Chelsea chop as it is called, is usually performed in May or early June when gardeners cut back herbacious perennials by as much as half in order to keep them flowering later in the season.
Phlox is among the many perennials that benefit from the Chelsea chop but many other summer and autumn-flowering perennials can be treated similarly. The degree of cutting back is specific to each species but the closer to flowering time you prune, the greater the delay in flowering.
This pruning method also has a tendency to keep plants more compact enabling the side shoots to branch out.
“The Chelsea chop is just another way of keeping colour in the garden for a longer period of time,” advises expert John.
Over the summer Holden Clough saw many visitors enjoying the re-vamped nursery, where plants are grouped by association and colour making it easier to choose for a specific area. If you have a particularly dry, shady or waterlogged area of your garden, there will be a specific plant to suit that environment. Selection has never been as easy!
And when at Holden Clough a visit to the Garden Kitchen is essential – it’s the time of year to sample the latest autumn ‘picnic’ featuring heart-warming dishes that are perfect for the chilly months ahead!
Join the team at Holden Clough for a weekend of festive fun including wreath making, Christmas decorations and Christmas trees!
Holden Clough Nursery
Holden, Clitheroe BB7 4PF
01200 447447
www.holdencloughnursery.com
Open seven days a week
