12 Autumn Plants to Brighten up your Garden

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The nights are starting to draw in and the summer sunshine is starting to fade, why not brighten up your garden with autumn plants?

 

We often get asked in our garden centres “what plants do you plant in autumn?” and “Do plants still grow in autumn?”. So, we thought we’d put together a guide to our top 12 autumn plants, and how you can use them to create an autumn planter in minutes.

 

What to plant in Autumn?

Autumn is the perfect time to plant spring bulbs before the winter months set in and the ground becomes hard with frost. Bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocus’, Hyacinth and Tulips will all grow in spring adding life to your garden and can be planted below autumn plants in pots or on garden borders. Our blog post ‘Your Garden in September’ is filled with loads of useful information on jobs you can do around your garden this month.

You can add plenty of plants to your garden in the autumn months to add colour through the colder, duller months. Here is our list of top 12 Autumn decorative plants.

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1. Cyclamen

If you want to bring pink colours to your Autumn Garden Cyclamens are the perfect plant. They come with plenty of buds so are long-lasting through the autumn and winter months. Mini Cyclamens are a great choice for planters or hanging baskets and come in a range of colours such as reds, purples, and whites. The leaves on cyclamens are beautiful and unusually patterned making them eye-catching for any autumn garden.

Cyclamen flowers
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2. Pansy and Viola

Pansies and Violas are the staple flowers for any autumn garden, their beautifully patterned petals will bring life to your autumn planters. Available in a wide range of colours they will draw attention in an autumn garden.

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3. Chrysanthemums

Chrysanthemums flower later in September and October time making them ideal autumn plants. Available in a giant range of colours they will be sure to bring colour to your garden this autumn.

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4. Heather Calluna 

You can plant a rainbow when it comes to Heather Calluna, available in a variety of colours this evergreen plant is perfect for the garden during the autumn and winter months. Heather Calluna is a great addition to an autumn planter, helping to create height and texture.

Heather-Calluna
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5. Hebe Addenda

Ideal for borders the shrub Hebe Addenda will add a splash of purple to your garden and will grow year upon year.

Hebe Addenda
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6. Skimmia Rubella

Another favourite of ours is the Skimmia Rubella, a small evergreen shrub with elliptic leaves. The Skimmia Rubella reveals red buds towards late winter to later open with white flowers in spring.

Skimmia Rubella
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7. Helleborus Christmas Carol

The ghostly Helleborus Christmas Carol has dark green leaves with snow-white flowers that will compliment any autumn and winter garden.

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8. Gaultheria Procumbens

Gaultheria Procumbens are pretty shrubs that have lovely red berries and green and purple leaves that will look perfect in a garden in Autumn or winter garden.

Gaultheria Procumbens
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9. Japanese Anemones

Japanese Anemones like to be in a well-drained environment such as a planter or boarders. They have tall steams and attractive flowers often in late summer and early autumn, they like the shade.

Japanese Anemones
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10. Aster

Part of the daisy family (sometimes called Michaelmas Daisies), Asters are a great plant for transitioning into the autumn season. There are a wide variety of Asters, and they look great in autumn planters or boarders add some lovely blue, pink, purple and white colours to your garden.

Aster
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11. Sedums

Sedums star-shaped flowers bloom through the summer months to autumn. Sedums love a sunny spot in the garden and come in many varieties and colours so are perfect for adding colour to your garden.

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12. Heuchera

The leaves on the Heuchera plant offer vibrant colours and will be a great addition to any autumn board or planter. They can be used in boards to help fill in gaps between taller plants. Their deep autumn-coloured leaves are perfect for your garden.

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Japanese Anemones, Aster, Sedums and Heuchera are perennials plants meaning that they will come back season after season and the best time to plant them is in the autumn months.

Remember to always read the planting instructions that come with the plants for more guidance. Watch our latest videos on creating an autumn planter, an autumn planter is quick and easy and can be created in just a few minutes.

For more advice and guidance about your autumn garden, pop into your local British Garden Centre and speak to our knowledgeable team members, we are always happy to help.

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Thanks for reading.

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