Autumn/ Winter Garden at Woolpit Nurseries

If you’re wondering what to cut back in your autumn garden read on! Tie back and prune climbing plants such as vines. You can also prune fruit bushes and trees like apple and pear to encourage the replacement of old shoots with healthy new growth. It’s also a great time to take cuttings from fruit bushes such as blackcurrant and gooseberry, in a few years you’ll have a good-sized, fruit-bearing plant. Cut any finished perennials back to ground level but leave those that have decorative seed heads such as alliums, teasels, hydrangea and Eryngium (sea holly). They provide food for birds and the long stems create shelter for insects. You can cut them down in spring. You can also cut back irises, lilies, salvia, rudbeckia and catmint.

Clean and tidy the greenhouse, shed or polytunnel ready to receive spring plants. Don’t forget that you can re-use old compost too. If it looks very tired you can use it as mulch but if it’s free of roots and not compacted, it’ll be perfect in next year’s pots. Autumn is a great time to clean out storage boxes and pack away garden furniture, if you haven’t already. Stack pots that housed summer flowers or plant some autumn and winter flowering blooms instead. Rake up any leaves from deciduous trees. You’ll need to do this a few times as more leaves fall but it’s worth keeping on top of it to prevent damage to grass and other plants. Rotted leaf matter makes excellent compost so add it to your existing compost heap or consider building one. You can also use leaves as mulch.

Tackle light weeding now and it will save you time in spring. Weeding can burn between 200-400 calories an hour and is a great way to get those endorphins flowing. It’s surprising how many dandelions there seem to be in autumn so hooking them out now will prevent the inevitable multiplication if they go on to flower next year.

Mulching is used to retain moisture, reduce weed growth and promote healthy soil. This is the perfect time of year for mulching where there is still some warmth in the soil and plenty of moisture which you can trap beneath a cosy blanket of mulch. Mulch is dead, organic plant material that provides precious nutrients to the soil as it decays. You can use wood chips, grass cuttings and fallen leaves. Add a layer of mulch around trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials.

Plant Winter Vegetables

If you’re growing winter vegetables, now is the time to sow radishes, broad beans, rocket and even winter lettuce. Plant onions, garlic and shallots in well-drained soil or raised beds and cover with fleece for extra protection from the elements.

Protect and Insulate

Many plants will overwinter just fine, but it’s a good idea to move tender plants into a greenhouse or add some insulation to those which will bear the brunt of the winter chill. You can wrap horticultural fleece or bubble-wrap around plant pots and re-use it each year. It’s also a good idea to net any hardy brassicas to stop those hungry pigeons from feasting on them throughout winter.

The Final Cut

Give the grass one last cut before winter sets in. Choose a dry day and don’t be tempted to cut the grass too short. It needs some length to help it soak up as much of the weak winter sun as possible.