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Autumn pumpkin

It's Autumn time

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<p><strong>Get your garden ready for Halloween</strong>! If you are looking for some ideas to get the trick and treating season off to a scary start, we’ve got lots of ideas for you to try.</p>

<p>Time to <strong>get your garden ready for Halloween</strong>, but how do you make it into a spookily, stylish or fun garden where ghosts and skeletons hide in the flower beds and the pumpkins come alive at night? If you are looking for some ideas to get the trick and treating season off to a scary start, we’ve got lots of ideas for you to try.</p>
<ol>
<li>The pumpkin pile&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Autumn/fall Chrysthanthemums&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Lights and spider webs&nbsp;</li>
<li>&nbsp;Ghosts and skeletons</li>
<li>&nbsp;A bucket of treats&nbsp;</li>
</ol>
<h2>The pumpkin pile is one way to get your garden ready for Halloween&nbsp;</h2>
<p>There is nothing like pumpkins and all kinds of decorated gourds in the garden for not just a beautiful autumnal display but also to make a spooky Halloween display. They can be placed in piles with some cobwebs on top or along the edges of a pathway or up steps. You could paint them all kinds of colours, add faces or do the traditional carving and lighting up. It’s great fun for kids and adults!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Get your garden ready for Halloween with autumn/fall Chrysthanthemums&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Is there anything as pretty as Chrysthanthemums at this time of year for colour in the garden? If you have orange, yellow or red potted plants, you can move them around to create a Halloween display along with your pumpkins. Not only that but they give the garden a lot of colour at this time of year. They can flower in abundance and look really pretty even if you aren’t creating a Halloween garden.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Lights and spiders webs to get your garden ready for Halloween</h2>
<p>The Halloween garden wouldn’t be scary enough without some spider webs draped around the trees, on the shrubs and over the lawn plus, if you use lights as well, they will glow during the night and give a Halloween feel to the whole space.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Get your garden ready for Halloween with ghosts and skeletons&nbsp;</h2>
<p>What would a Halloween garden be without a few fun hanging ghosts from the trees, or even your front windows and at least one skeleton peering from behind a tree? Sure to get the neighbours jumping out of their garden boots as they walk on by!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>A bucket of treats to get your garden ready for Halloween&nbsp;</h2>
<p>If you are decorating your garden for Halloween, you will most definitely get some knocks on the door for trick or treating! You’ll need to be prepared or expect the trick! Have a bucket ready on the front lawn or by your door full of fun stuff for visitors if you want to give treats. You could have sweets and chocolates but also seed packets and even plants and flowers. Have some fun this Halloween.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Visit us in store for your Halloween decorations.&nbsp;</p>

Get your garden ready for Halloween

<p>Whether you use your own home-grown herbs or fresh herbs from the supermarket, drying herbs is easy to do.&nbsp;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>Drying herbs for winter</strong> storage is a skill that goes back thousands of years. It’s an ideal way to give you a supply of herbs all year round, and many herbs taste even better dried, as the flavour is concentrated. Whether you use your own home-grown herbs or fresh herbs from the supermarket, drying herbs is easy to do.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Picking and preparing herbs for drying</h2>
<p dir="ltr">If you’re harvesting your own herbs for drying, pick them on a dry day around mid-morning, when the dew has dried but before the sun’s heat evaporates the essential oils in the leaves.&nbsp;</p>
<p dir="ltr">Remove any dead or damaged leaves, then wash your herbs to remove any dirt and bugs and pat dry with a clean cloth or paper towel.&nbsp; Tie small-leaved herbs like thyme and oregano into bundles to make them easier to handle, but keep them small, as large piles are more likely to go mouldy. Strip big leaves like sage and mint from the stems before drying them.</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Air-drying herbs</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Air-drying takes a little longer than other methods but is very easy to do and needs very little in the way of equipment. To air-dry herbs, simply place the leaves or bundles in cheesecloth bags to protect them from dust and hang the bags somewhere out of direct sunlight, with good air circulation and low humidity. Depending on the air temperature, it can take 1-2 weeks for herbs to fully dry – when the stems snap, and the leaves are brittle, they are ready.&nbsp;</p>
<h2 dir="ltr">Drying herbs in an oven</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Herbs can be dried in an oven on a very low setting, around 80°C (100°F), with the door left open so that moisture can escape.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Spread the leaves out on a wire rack and place the shelf in the centre of the oven.&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Turn the leaves every 30 minutes until they are dry – this should take between 1-2 hours.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Don’t leave the oven unattended while the herbs are drying, especially if there are children or pets in the house.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr">Drying herbs in a microwave</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Microwave drying is quick, simple, and ideal if you only have a small number of herbs to dry.</p>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Place the clean, dry herbs on a paper towel on a microwave-safe plate and cover with another paper towel.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Microwave on high setting for one minute – stop if you smell the herbs burning.</p>
</li>
<li aria-level="1" dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr" role="presentation">Repeat in 30-second bursts until the herbs are dry.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<h2 dir="ltr">Storing dried herbs</h2>
<p dir="ltr">Dried herbs will store well for a long time in airtight containers. Keep them out of direct sunlight, especially if stored in clear glass bottles. Use a pestle and mortar or your fingers to crush the leaves before storing, unless you want to keep them whole for easier use.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Growing your own herbs will give you a ready supply of fresh leaves for both cooking and drying. Visit our centre today to see our superb range of herbs and much more for your garden.</p>

How to dry herbs for winter

<p>Choosing suitable shrubs for borders and hedging is an effective way to give your garden a whole new look.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Shrubs and hedging</strong> are the unsung heroes of the garden. These modest, low-maintenance stalwarts provide structure and create a framework to show off more glamorous plants. Choosing suitable shrubs for borders and hedging is an effective way to give your garden a whole new look.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Structural shrubs and hedging</h2>
<p>These popular structural shrubs don’t have showy flowers, but they are a reliable presence in the garden with their evergreen foliage.</p>
<ul>
<li>Yew (Taxus baccata) – One of the few conifers that can tolerate hard pruning, it makes a good hedging or topiary plant and will cope with dry shade once established.</li>
<li>Box (Buxus sempervirens) – The classic choice for topiary and low evergreen hedging, as it can be clipped to shape. In areas affected by box blight or box moth caterpillars, Euonymus ‘Jean Hughes’ or Lonicera nitida (shrubby honeysuckle) are good alternatives.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) – grows well in the sun or shade and makes an excellent hedging plant.</li>
<li>Beech (Fagus sylvaticus) – a tree that can also be grown as a hedging plant. If trimmed in late summer, it will hold onto its brown autumn leaves until spring.</li>
<li>Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) – a deciduous shrub ideal for native hedging, with white flowers in spring and berries in autumn.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Shrubs for flowers and scent</h2>
<p>These low-maintenance flowering shrubs add both colour and structure – a must for any garden.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Rockrose (Cistus purpureus) – drought-tolerant and low-maintenance, forming a neat dome covered in brilliant pink or pure white flowers all summer.</li>
<li>Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) – aromatic silvery foliage and very fragrant purple flowers. A must for bee-friendly gardens.</li>
<li>Forsythia – brings fantastic colour in early spring, when the bare branches are smothered in a blaze of yellow flowers.</li>
<li>Christmas box (Sarcococca confusa) – an unassuming shrub that grows happily in the shade, with small but incredibly sweetly scented flowers in the middle of winter.</li>
<li>Hydrangea – an excellent shrub for shady spots, with big pink, white or blue flowerheads in late summer.</li>
</ul>
<h2>How to plant shrubs and hedging</h2>
<p>Please follow our how to plant shrubs and hedging guide to provide your shrubs and hedging with a&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
<li>Water container-grown plants well before planting. Bare-root plants should be soaked in water for an hour to rehydrate them before planting.</li>
<li>Dig a hole big enough to fit the rootball. If planting a hedge, it’s often simpler to dig a trench and then space the plants evenly along the trench rather than digging individual holes.</li>
<li>Plant the shrub to be at the same level in the soil as it was in the pot. A sprinkling of mycorrhizal fungi over the roots can help the plant to establish a sound root system.</li>
<li>Backfill with soil and firm gently around the trunk of the plant with your boot—water well.</li>
<li>Water shrubs and regularly hedging in the first year after planting. Mulch annually in spring or autumn with compost or well-rotted farmyard manure.</li>
</ol>
<p>Autumn is the ideal time to plant shrubs and hedging, so visit our centre soon to see our extensive range. Our staff are always happy to help and advise!</p>

10 great shrubs and hedging plants

<p>Find the best <strong>flowers for autumn colour</strong> in our guide here.</p>

<p>Please find the best <strong>flowers for autumn colour</strong> in our guide here. Even as summer ends and we head into the season's changing colours, autumn doesn't' have just to be red, yellow, and brown. We love those autumnal hues, but if you want to add plenty of other colours to your garden, there are still many options. After the abundance of summer colour, it is easy to assume that the garden immediately fades away, but keep that colour up in the garden with these autumnal flowering plants.&nbsp;</p>
<ul>
<li>Sedum&nbsp;</li>
<li>Pansies</li>
<li>Chrysanthemum</li>
<li>Dahlias</li>
<li>Teasel</li>
</ul>
<h2>Sedum spectabile (stonecrop) is one of the best flowers for autumn colour&nbsp;</h2>
<p>If you want a plant that needs very little care, that the bees absolutely love, and that provides you with fleshy leaves, strong stems and many pink flowers, then this is the plant for you. Preferring well-drained soil and full sun, you'll see many honeybees and bumblebees enjoying the sweet nectar. You might also see this reclassified as Hylotelephium.</p>
<h2>The best flowers for autumn colour are the ones that bloom all year&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Pansies and violas can keep your gardening in flower all year long. Deadheading will prolong the flowering periods, and it is a joy to see the pretty purple, yellow, pink and white flowers peeping up above the snow in winter. So fill your hanging baskets, containers and any bare soil with plenty, and you'll' have lots of colour in the garden.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Chrysanthemums are some of the best flowers for autumn colour&nbsp;</h2>
<p>''Mums'' for short, these are the stars of the autumn garden when they come into their own. Perfect pot plants for Halloween or tall stemmed cut flowers for the vase. Many varieties are available now, from big brightly coloured balls of petals to the more traditional, almost Dahlia looking blooms. They are not as hard to grow as their reputation!&nbsp;</p>
<h2>The best flowers for autumn colour have to be Dahlias&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Throughout summer, deep into autumn before the frosts hit, Dahlias are the stand out a flower for gardeners. With so very many varieties available, there is a Dahlia or two for everyone. They can be grown as cut flowers. The bees love them, and the more you cut, the more you will succeed. They hold on to colour when most other summer flowers are ending, and they bloom strong until frosts when you need to cut them back, lift them for storage or give them an excellent mulch to protect them over winter.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Try some wildflowers for the best flowers for autumn colour&nbsp;</h2>
<p>Attract Goldfinches to your garden with the ever stunning Teasel. The seed heads have rings of purple flowers, and they remain stunning throughout autumn and into winter, giving birds some much-needed food as well as interest in the garden.&nbsp;</p>
<p>For autumn colour in your garden, we have a wide variety of choices in store. Visit us!</p>

The best flowers for autumn colour

<p>Follow these simple <strong>autumn lawn care tips</strong> to keep your lawn healthy through the winter and ready for another year.</p>

<p>Lawns get a lot of hard use during the summer, so they need a little care and attention in autumn to help them recover. Follow these simple <strong>autumn lawn care tips</strong> to keep your lawn healthy through the winter and ready for another year.</p>
<h2>Autumn lawn care tips</h2>
<ol>
<li>
<p>Keep mowing the lawn regularly, but as growth starts to slow down, raise the blades of your mower. As lawns are often wet with dew in the mornings at this time of year, it’s better to mow in the afternoons when the grass is dry.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Apply a lawn weed killer to eliminate any weeds that germinated over summer, always remembering to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Alternatively, if you only have a few weeds in your lawn, weed them out by hand, taking care to get as much of the root as possible when dealing with broadleaved weeds like docks and dandelions.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Tackle moss by raking it out, or apply moss treatments – again, always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when using moss killer.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Scarify your lawn. Scarifying involves raking to remove thatch (dead grass) that builds up over the year and can form a thick layer over the soil, stopping water from reaching the roots of the grass. Scarify small lawns by raking them firmly with a spring-tine rake, or use a mechanical scarifier for larger spaces. As well as getting rid of thatch and moss, this helps to weaken broadleaf weeds like dandelions by damaging their leaves.&nbsp;</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>After scarifying, it’s a good idea to aerate your lawn, especially areas that have become compacted through frequent use. You can do this manually on small lawns, spiking holes in the soil at regular intervals with a garden fork or a hollow-tine aerator. However, this can be quite hard work, and for larger areas, it’s best to use a mechanical aerator. Aerating the lawn breaks up compaction, allows air in and improves drainage, helping the grassroots grow strong so they can out-compete weeds.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Once you’ve dealt with weeds and moss, and the lawn has been scarified and aerated, give it an autumn feed. Autumn lawn feeds are formulated to promote root growth and ‘harden’ the grass, helping your lawn recover from summer and strengthening it ready for winter.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Autumn is a good time to sow new seeds on bare spots in your lawn and also to lay new turf or patch bare areas. Although there is generally enough rain in autumn to keep the soil moist, water regularly if the weather is dry, and don’t let newly-laid turf dry out.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>Finally, as the autumn leaves start to fall, rake them off the lawn so that the sunlight can reach the grass and cut back any plants that are spilling over onto the lawn.&nbsp;</p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>We have everything you need in the centre to get your lawn into great shape this autumn, so visit us soon!&nbsp;</p>

Autumn lawn care

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Cut the cabbagey top growth off your Brussels sprouts plants so the plant concentrates on swelling the sprouts more evenly, ensuring they're all ready to pick at the same time. You can eat the sprout tops steamed whole for a scrumptious accompaniment to casseroles, too.