Getting Your Garden Ready for Winter

New In: Our Autumn Garden Tidy Range

As the gardening season draws to a close, the leaves are starting to fall and borders are ready for one last tidy before winter sets in. Whatever your autumn to-do list looks like, we've got everything you need to get the job done.

From brooms and rakes to gloves and secateurs, you'll find our full autumn garden tidy range in the potting shed this month. And if you're a Moor Rewards member, keep an eye out for some lovely offers to help you stock up. 

Plant of the Month: Autumn Heathers

Bring colour, texture and wildlife into your garden this autumn. Heathers are compact, hardy evergreens covered in masses of tiny bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple and white, with many varieties flowering from late summer right through autumn. Their nectar-rich blooms are a valuable food source for bees, while their evergreen foliage gives your garden structure and interest all year round.

How to grow them

For the best results, plant heathers in full sun and free-draining soil. Most autumn-flowering Calluna varieties prefer acidic, lime-free soil (ideally around pH 5.5), so it's worth checking your soil before planting. If your garden is on the alkaline side, don't worry: heathers look beautiful in pots filled with peat-free ericaceous compost.

Water well when newly planted, but avoid letting them sit in waterlogged soil. Give them a light trim after flowering to keep them compact and bushy, taking care not to cut back into old, bare wood.

Perfect for: borders, rockeries, pots and containers, and especially for adding a splash of autumn colour to sunny spots. Plant in groups for a bigger impact, or pair with other heathers and spring bulbs for interest that carries on through the seasons.

Your October Gardening Jobs

• Plant trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm, making October a great time to plant. Remember to stake or tie in anything that might catch the wind.
• Feed your lawn. An autumn lawn feed will help it stay healthy through the colder months.
• Help the hedgehogs. Give them somewhere cosy to hibernate over winter. Our hedgehog houses are ideal.
• Plant garlic. Getting cloves in now gives them the period of cold weather they need to develop.
• Keep planting spring bulbs. A little effort now means beautiful displays next year.
• Feed the birds. As autumn goes on, garden birds find food harder to come by. We have a range of bird feeders, bird tables and seed to keep them well fed.
• Protect tender plants. A cold frame is a great investment for sheltering young or tender plants over winter.
• Make leaf mould. Rake up fallen leaves and store them in bags or a wire cage. In a year or two, you'll have a wonderful soil conditioner.
• Plant up autumn pots. Create cheerful pots and hanging baskets with heathers, cyclamen, pansies and violas.

Indoor Cyclamen Care

Also known as florist's cyclamen, these bright, showy plants can flower for up to six weeks when they're well looked after. Deadhead regularly to encourage more buds to form.

Please note: cyclamen are not pet friendly.

Light and temperature

Place your cyclamen somewhere bright but out of direct sunlight. They love cool conditions, ideally between 10 and 15°C. If they get too warm, they'll head into early dormancy and stop flowering.

Watering

Aim to keep the soil moist but never waterlogged, and water when the surface feels dry. If you can, water from below by sitting the pot in a tray of water and letting the soil soak it up.

Getting it to flower again

Cyclamen naturally go dormant in late spring. Once flowering has finished, gradually reduce watering so the soil stays only slightly damp, then move the plant somewhere cool, dry and shaded for the summer. When new leaves begin to appear in late summer, bring it back into the light and start watering again, and it should reward you with flowers from around September.