Whether you call it Meg Ryan season, Gilmore Girls time, or the ‘ber months, you’ll need a list of reliable autumn garden prep tips to hand as the leaves turn and the nights draw in. Especially if you want to help your space thrive next year.
Yes, gardens across the UK have begun their quiet descent into winter, and, while it may feel like the end of the gardening year, autumn is actually one of the most important seasons for laying strong foundations.
Mulching, dividing perennials, or simply making the most of the lingering warmth in the soil – a little prep and TLC now won’t just help plants and soil survive the colder months, but will also set your outdoor space up for a burst of energy come spring.
The best autumn garden prep tips from the pros
Look out the window: can you deny that autumn is upon us? That’s why now is the time to give your space a much-needed reset: think clearing away, refreshing tired garden borders, wildlife protection, and tool maintenance, as well as all your standard planting and harvesting tricks.
With that in mind, then, these are the autumn garden prep tips that will help you get your very own oasis feeling ready for the wintry frosts ahead…
1. Clear and refresh
First on your list of autumn garden prep tips? Well, it’s a boring but essential one; tidying things up.
‘After a long summer, gardens tend to collect a lot of debris – from fallen leaves and twigs to fruit from trees,’ explains Peter Chaloner, Managing Director of Cobra Garden Machinery. ‘Clearing this early helps prevent damp conditions that encourage pests and disease.’
He recommends using something like the Cobra LB55040VX Cordless Leaf Blower from Amazon to make the job quick and easy across larger areas, but remember: don’t clear away every single fallen leaf! Not only are they great for mulching, but hedgehogs and birds love foraging amongst them, too.
Our advice? Create small mounds of sticks and twigs to provide shelter and help to attract insects – a vital source of food over the colder months.
2. Get pruning
You need to be careful when pruning hedges, as pruning at the wrong time – aka during bird nesting season, which is typically March to September – can leave you with a hefty fine.
Autumn, however, is a good time to prune both evergreen and deciduous hedges, now that growth has slowed. This helps maintain shape and encourages healthy regrowth for the following season.
3. Plant for the future
Next on our list of autumn garden prep tips? ‘Laying the groundwork for next year’s success,’ says Charlotte McGrattan, Buyer at Hillier Garden Centres. She suggests taking the opportunity to reflect on which planting schemes worked, and which areas feel bare once summer blooms fade.
Autumn is also the best moment to add structure with shrubs and evergreens, as the soil is still warm enough to establish strong roots. And it’s the perfect season to plant spring bulbs – from daffodils and hyacinths to tulips and alliums – which will pay off with vibrant colour at the first signs of spring.
Finally, it’s the perfect time of year to plant wildflower seeds, according to Dr Emily Attlee, conservation scientist and cofounder of the original seed ball company, Seedball.
‘By scattering between September and mid-November, seeds like poppies, cornflowers, and forget-me-nots settle in for winter, protected inside their clay seedballs,’ she promises. ‘Come spring, they wake up refreshed and ready to grow with strong, resilient roots.’
You can pick up a set of five SEEDBALL Wildflower Seed Bombs, £29.99 via Amazon now, if you want to get started.
4. Make friends with the local bats
Now is the time to figure out how to attract bats to your garden, as they’re brilliant at chomping up garden pests – but they need our help to keep warm as the temperature dips.
Whether you build a garden stumpery, dig out your favourite garden pond ideas, or simply pop a bat box on the exterior of your house, your winged friends will definitely thank you for the TLC.
5. Nourish your soil
No good list of autumn garden prep tips would be complete without a little soil nourishment, as now is the time to replenish what summer has taken out.
Mulch borders with organic matter such as compost, manure, or leaf mould to feed the soil and lock in moisture. ‘This will help to condition the ground for next season’s planting,’ promises Charlotte.
When it comes to the vegetable patch, clear away spent crops and add compost to help enrich beds for next year. ‘You can also plant green manure like mustard, clover, or rye to enrich soil and prevent erosion over winter,’ says Christopher O’Donoghue, director of Gardens Revived.
You can pick up a mix of Nature’s Haven Green Manure Mix from Amazon to do exactly this.
6. Tidy borders
When it comes to autumn garden prep tips, don’t forget to spend some time ‘cutting back spent perennials and clearing annuals helps reduce disease and pest build-up over winter,’ says Charlotte.
However, it’s not about clearing everything away; seedheads from plants like echinacea and teasels can be left standing for birds and insects.
Creating wildlife shelters is another simple win. Piles of logs, bundles of sticks, or even just a quiet, undisturbed corner of the garden can provide vital homes for hedgehogs, toads, and insects through the colder months.
7. Protect wildlife
Every garden should be a space for more than just humans to enjoy; you want to spend some time tending to local wildlife, too.
‘Ponds can be netted to stop autumn leaves from falling into the water. The net should be big enough to allow pond creatures to get in and out but to keep leaves away,’ says Morris Hankinson of Hopes Grove Nurseries.
‘Plan plenty of spaces for wildlife to shelter from the cooler weather and predators, and include lots of native plants, hedging and trees. Ensure you have a topped up bird bath with fresh water and bird food ready for autumn and winter if you want to attract birds to your garden,’ he adds.
8. Keep deadheading
Yes, you will need to keep deadheading perennials and other plants as autumn takes hold of your garden.
‘Many flowers will keep blooming into autumn if they continue to be deadheaded, especially dahlias, cosmos and zinnias,’ promises Morris.
‘Keep them going until the first frosts by cutting for a vase and removing spent flower heads,’ he adds.
9. Care for tools and furniture
Before winter weather takes hold, make sure that you have ‘clean and sharpen your gardening tools’ on your list of autumn garden prep tips. You should then oil metal surfaces to prevent rust and store them somewhere dry.
‘As temperatures drop and wetter weather sets in, taking a little time now to protect your outdoor furniture will ensure it remains as good as new for many more summers to come,’ says James Bentley, Director at British garden furniture supplier Charles Bentley.
He advises you to wipe down wooden, rattan, or metal pieces, cover them if possible, and store cushions indoors to extend their life.
10. Prep your lawn
Finally, but by no means least, take care to add some essential autumn lawn care tips to your prepping list.
‘It’s time to lift the height of your mower blades as the growth rate of grass will begin to slow down from September. If you need to reseed your lawn or put some new turf down, autumn is a great time to establish a lawn,’ says Morris.
‘Ensure your lawn is well aerated by using a garden fork to make holes in the lawn and rake away any leaves. And, if you’d like to feed your lawn, an autumn fertiliser with potassium and low nitrogen can be used.’
Peter adds that you should also use a scarifier to let your lawn breathe, as these hardworking patches of grass ‘often suffer from wear and compaction during summer’. Aerating the soil, then, helps air, water, and nutrients reach the roots, encouraging thicker, healthier grass come spring.
‘A scarifier-aerator combination tool, like the Cobra SA32Ee Electric Scarifier And Aerator Lawn Raker, £109.50 from Amazon, makes this easy to do – its steel blades dig into the soil surface to break up compaction and remove thatch, setting the stage for strong autumn recovery,’ he adds.
FAQs
What to cut back in the garden in autumn?
If you’re not sure what to cut back in the garden in autumn, focus on cutting back herbaceous perennials that have finished flowering.
Remove dead or diseased growth from roses and shrubs, but take care to leave attractive seedheads for birds. And always, always, always delay pruning spring-flowering shrubs until after they bloom.
How to prepare your garden in autumn?
If you want to prepare your garden in autumn like a pro, you need to clear away fallen debris, prune hedges, mulch borders, and plant bulbs.
Tidy up borders, too, but leave some material for wildlife. Improve soil with compost or manure, maintain your tools, and protect furniture – because making these small efforts now will mean a healthier, happier garden in spring.
And just like that, you have a brilliant list of autumn garden tips to help you set to work on your own little slice of paradise.
Trust us; when yours is thriving come springtime, you’ll be glad you put the effort in…
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