How do I care for my Autumn Begins plant collection?

Autumn is here and with it a new collection of plants that make up our Autumn Begins Seasonal Outdoor plant collections.

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Juniper

The Juniper is a coniferous tree that grows throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, occupying a range of habitats. It has many uses which includes the flavouring of gin. It was once believed that burning your Juniper on Halloween would ward off evil spirits!

 

Brassica

Yes it's an ornamental cabbage! Brassica thrives in very well-drained soil and they like a bit of sunshine. You won't need to water this plant very much at all - especially at this time of year. You will generally find that the colour of the leaves will brighten after the first frost.

 

Aster

The Callistephus, commonly known as the China aster is a member of the daisy family and its blooms resemble those of Chrysanthemums. They enjoy full sun to part shade, do not allow to dry out and deadheading is certainly encouraged.

 

Senecio

Part of the daisy family the senecio cineraria is more commonly known as silver ragwort or the dusty miller, this small evergreen shrub is grown as a half hardy annual. It is both heat and drought tolerant and can tolerate light shade, although it will do better in full sun.

 

Calluna (Heather)

This common heather is a colourful, low maintenance plant that will provide some much-needed winter colour. They do prefer a full sun position and like most plants do not enjoy sitting in overly wet soil for too long. Cut back when blooms start to fade

 

Chrysanthemum

A very hardy autumn flowerer, simply deadhead regularly. In Chinese culture, the chrysanthemum is a symbol of Autumn and the flower of the ninth month. It is a symbol of longevity due to its health-giving properties. 

 

Viola 

These miniature violas are a wonderful splash of colour. They will stop flowering when there is a frost, but resume flowering as soon as there's a warmer spell, and will flower prolifically in spring! In Victorian England, they were a symbol of love.

 

Balloon Flower

Known as the Balloon Flower because of the shape of the buds as they are about to burst into flower. It is even possible to 'pop' the buds and you are rewarded with a satisfying sound when they burst. Great for gardening with kids, these are a firm favourite in the Lazy Flora camp. 

 

Carex

This Japanese sedge enjoys sunshine, so plant it in a sunny spot if you can. This beautiful ornamental grass was once used by people in the Antarctic as insulation for their boots. So you can be confident that it can handle the cold better than most plants around.

 

Primula

If you dead-head primulas throughout the spring, they will continue to flower. They will put on vigorous growth once the spring temperature starts to rise, but they will need a bit of protection (cover with hessian if you can), if there is to be a frost or snow.

 

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These are some of the plants included in our current Autumn Begins Seasonal Outdoor plant collections. If having beautiful plants delivered to your door without even having to leave the house, let alone sit for hours in traffic, sounds like something for you, check out our plant subscriptions here.