Welcome to The Sunday Gardener

Cotinus makes good autumn colour illustrated is Cotinus coggygria Royal purple and the colour of its leaves intensifies as autumn progress. Impressive also for autumn colour is C. flame. Cotinus are easy to grow shrubs.

Native English Ivy is a great plant for wildlife. It flowers late in the year and provides late nectar and food for bees, hoverflies and wasps, and is home to all manner of insects which attracts  insect eating birds which forage in it for food. The berries are rich and winter birds relish them. Although it may have a bad press Ivy is really good for wildlife in the garden.

Autumn is bulb planting time and Scented Narcissi have the best of colour and scent making them irresistible to add into planters near front doors and porches to bring a spring closer. There are a wide range of bulbs included some fantastic double headed scented Narcissi on offer from Crocus click here.

Autumn is the best time to plant Garlic which gives it the required period of low temperatures to form good bulbs. If your ground is heavy or wet, this will not be ideal for the Garlic over winter instead start it off in containers under glass and then plant out in the spring. Tips on how to grow Garlic and what to do with a glut of runner beans.