Green light: why this is the perfect time to start planting your garden

The harsh summer weather has begun to fade. Baking sunshine has made way for mellow mornings. It’s raining again as our gardens and green spaces let out a sigh of relief.

Now is the perfect time to get planting.

Putting plants in the ground now, while the earth is still warm from the summer sun, gives them time to establish a strong root system before spring, making them much more likely to survive next summer when the going gets tough.

This saves you work too, as it means less watering and worrying come spring.

Planting tips

Shop savvy

As many shrubs and perennial plants go dormant, garden centres find them harder to sell, so they are often relegated to the discount corner to quietly die.

With an eagle eye, you can often find some very good value plants that have absolutely nothing wrong with them. The big garden centres are often best for this.

To be sure you are not buying a pot of dead roots, look for signs of next year’s growth and a healthy root system. For woody plants that have lost their leaves, scrape away a tiny bit of bark – if it’s green underneath the plant is still very much alive.

Right plant, right place

While it can be tempting to just bung plants into the ground or pots and containers because they look good, taking a moment to think about what the plant needs will make a big difference in the long run. Plants are like people and have different needs.

If you have a shady space, choose plants that enjoy those conditions such as ferns, hellebores, geraniums and hydrangeas.

In a sunnier space you’ll have more choice, but as it’s likely to be drier, look for plants that are tolerant of low rainfall. Rock roses, lavender, and rosemary are good places to start.

Be aware of the changing seasons

Don’t forget that as the seasons change, parts of your plot that are sunny now might be dark all winter and shady spots might receive the full heat of the sun in mid-summer.

Take time to observe how the sun moves through the sky and where it catches the ground.

Watch out for fallen leaves too. In large quantities these can smother smaller plants from much needed light. Collect the leaves and compost them.

It’s all in the preparation

Before you start planting, make sure your plants have had a thorough watering.

You can do this by standing them in a tray of water overnight, or if you can’t wait, plunge them into a bucket of water until the rootball stops bubbling.

Compost in pots and containers might also need a refresh if it has been used a couple of times. Mix in new peat-free compost.

Renting or low on budget?

As well as plants [he must mean perennials?], now is an excellent time to sow hardy annuals. These are short lived plants that you can buy as seeds for as little as £1 per packet. They include flowers like poppies, pot marigolds, honesty, corn flowers, nigella and many other cheerful numbers.

Rake over the surface of where you want to plant, thinly scatter the seeds and cover over for a show next spring and summer.