Autumn Promise

Autumn one of my favourite seasons, is also a misleading one because on reflection come December Autumn didn't prepare us well enough for the plummeting temperatures Winter brings. What feels chilly now is nothing close to the freeze winter has in store, and every year I feel the same.

I find myself putting off the winterising jobs in the garden today because it feels unnecessary whilst still wearing a t-shirt in warm October, but it is time to dig up and store dahlia tubers and make preparations for colder days. I know that if caught off guard our gardens and tender plants will suffer and we will regret it.

So if like me the Dahlia digging, Sweet pea planting, bulb lasagna creating, and Canna fleecing is being put off till tomorrow because it simply feels unnecessary, I urge you to reconsider. For many gardening is a summer fling, and we arrive in Spring wishing we'd planted 100 more tulips back whenever it was we were supposed to do that! I appreciate the disconnect that comes with planting bulbs 6 months before when they are to flower, but you have to believe in the promise of Autumn planting. This is the gardeners' New Year, a chance to start again, a fresh slate, new plans, new beginnings, and lots more glorious seedlings to nurture.

For me the Autumn garden is a busy one, planning, preparing, protecting, and propagating. All these jobs may not seem the most exciting of gardening pleasures, but they can be some of the most rewarding come spring. So whilst it's easy to put off till tomorrow what can be done today, why not add these little but important jobs to tomorrow's to-do list and relish the Autumn promise next Spring.