Enjoy Life

In your garden: October

Garden expert Eliza Nicholas offers some tips for the winter months 

As we move towards the winter months, we tend to spend less time out in the garden, but no less time looking at it.

From the comfort of a warm armchair it can be disappointing to look over a garden of bare soil and decaying annuals, so we should use the autumn to prepare our spaces to provide winter interest where possible.

Evergreen shrubs are a gardener's best friend during the colder months. They provide structure in beds or when used as hedges, and can bring colour when the flowering varieties are used. 

There is a long list of options, including Yew, Mahonia, Escallonia and Viburnum which are substantial, low maintenance shrubs that are happy in most gardens. Small plants to fresh your winter borders include winter flowering Heather, Hellebores and bulbs such as Snowdrop and Cyclamen. Their brave blooms will bring welcome colour during the cold months.

A spectacular winter display can also be created with grasses. Leave the cutting back of old stems until just before the new growth emerges in spring, ensuring that the soft shaped remain through winter. They look particularly impressive when covered in frost on a sunny morning! Low maintenance Mexican feathergrass (Stips tenuissima) and the splendid Reed grass (Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster') are popular choices. If you are looking to add trees that will draw attention over winter, there are many options. A favourite of mine is Chinese witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis), with its wonderful yellow spidery flowers triumphing in the darkest months. Paperbark maple (Acer griseum) is a small deciduous tree, with splendid autumn foliage that falls to reveal peeling bark in deep auburn layers before small flowers reappear in spring. We must also mention silver birch (Betula jaquemontii) with its eye-catching white bark showing off all year round. This tree is popular for small garden given the unobtrusive shape and canopy that does not cast too much shade. 

For many plants, autumn is an optimum time for planting outdoors, however, others are more suited to spring or summer, so check with a specialist to make sure you get the best results. 

Of course, plants are not the only way to create year-round visual impact outdoors. Paving, pebbles, sculpture and other decorative or hard landscaping features can be used to enhance spaces and create areas you can use during winter months. Adding a firepit for roasting marshmallows will encourage both adults and children to wrap up warm and enjoy time outside!

The best gardens are ones that provide something to look at and spark out imagination throughout the year. Not only are they visually pleasing, but they often have the power to tempt us from the comfort of the armchair and into the great outdoors. 

Want more tips? Share your garden pictures with us

To keep up to date with all the latest from Choice, or if you have something you want to share with our team, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram and YouTube

Other stories in Enjoy Life

Autumn Reads
Summer 2024 Books
Summer DVDs
Summer CDs
Latest book reviews
May DVD Reviews
May's book reviews
May's CD reviews
That English Riviera Touch
April's DVD reviews
April's book reviews
April's CD reviews
March's DVD review
March book reviews
March's CD reviews
February's DVDs
February's books
Winter books
January's DVD releases
Christmas book reviews
November DVD reviews
November's Music Reviews
November book reviews
October's DVD reviews
October's New CD releases
October's book reviews
September's DVD Reviews
DVD selection for August 2023
September's book reviews
Latest music reviews August 2023
August Round up
August Paperback Reviews
August hardback book reviews
July 2023 Roundup
Pick of the paperbacks July 2023
July 23 Hardback book reviews
July 2023 DVD releases
July 2023 CD reviews
Pick of the paperbacks June 2023
June DVDs
Hardback book reviews - June 2023
Simon Evans CD Reviews for June 2023
Tesco Summer indoors and out
Book reviews
May 2023 paperback book reviews
May 2023 Hardback book reviews
May's DVD Selection
May's CD selection
Round up of April 2023's book reviews
April 2023 paperback reviews
April 2023 Hardback book reviews
More March 2023 must-reads
March - Pick of the paperbacks
March hardback recommendations
Afternoon Tea
March 2023 - DVD releases
March 2023 Music
February 2023 Books Round up
Pick of the paperbacks - February 2023
Book reviews February 2023
DVD recommendations
February's music reviews
Freedom on two wheels
Make do and mend
Foray into the Fens
Christmas reads
Tasty, healthy recipes by Joanne Wood
Keeping fit and healthy with the Green goddess Part 2
Keeping fit and healthy with the Green goddess Part 1
Finger-licking Good! Tasty Chicken recipes
Beauty: Say 'Allo 'Allo to an alluring look
British Library: Palace of the printed word
Look good and feel great with CBD
Interior design: Inspiration for outdoor spaces
Summer fun at Belvoir Castle
Finding Fitness Starts With Fashion
‘In Vogue’ Veg – Cavolo Nero Sales Grow by 14%
Eat Continental and live longer
A life-affirming book... about death
Get Sewing: Floral bespoke notebook cover
Find your family fortunes... for FREE!
Beauty: Get set for spring...
Spanish Recipes: Small is beautiful
The Vegan Revolution
Interior Design: Maximise your living space
Pets need a spring clean too
Visit Family Tree Live
MasterChef: Classic with a Twist
Get Sewing: Quilted pot-holder
Bob Dylan "Rock and Roll music wasn’t enough for me”
Plant Power Day: 7th March 2019
Interior Design: Less is more in minimalist home
A second chance at love
Interior Design: Great Gatsby Cabinet
The rise and rise of the birthday cake
Walking back to happiness
Baking With Veg
Totally Tina Tour
How to take care of your hair over-50
The nation's most popular cake recipes
Your views: Can you help?
Hail the grandparent aupairs
Beauty: Denise Welch "I love the shape I'm in at 60"
The Austerity Olympics
Healthy reasons to acquire a taste for olives
Grand Treats for Grandchildren
Declutter your home, and clear your mind
Scandi-style Mules for Swollen Feet
Beetroot and Walnut Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Dr Norman Croucher: The toughest summit of them all
Craft Corner: Sweet Easter Basket
Have your cake and eat your Easter egg too!
Interior Design: Moroccan inspired drawers
BR remembered... 70 years on
A gentleman's guide to spring fashion
Why antique jewellery is glittering
New Year, new beauty habits
Cliff Richard "I have a deeper faith now"
Do you remember? Oliver!
What we really look for in retirement living
Interior Design: Wedding bells on a budget
Counter culture: The revival of the board game
Jodie Whittaker: "Doctor Who is all about change"
85 year old Grandmother gains a PhD
Dame Eileen and a Crowning glory
Writing the story of you life
Why winter shouldn't stop you: don't wait until New Year
World' first 'wellness shed' stirs up mindfulness
Growing old is amazing
Don't miss out on the internet age
Prepare to feel ancient...
Hawks: Up close and personal
Studious retiree heads back to school
Garden Expert: Soaking up the sun
Emily Watson "I'ts such a gypsy life"
Here's to you Mrs Robinson
Brits Embracing 'Urban Birding'
Volunteering for Nature
The Secret to Younger Looking Eyes
Anti-ageing Options Part 2
Anti-ageing Options
End of the road for a pop icon
Reaching out to Dementia Sufferers: Sporting Memories Network
Are you ready for retirement?
Afternoon Tea Recipes
Surprisingly Good Wholegrain Recipes: Savoury
Staying safe in the Summer heat: Drowning prevention
Stardust Memories
Baking made easy
Cooking for one
The real cost of your wine