Autumn planting can give raspberries a head start by letting them settle their roots before winter. Success depends on timing, site choice, and planting at the correct depth.
Tansy phacelia is a fast-growing green manure and cover crop that loosens soil, suppresses weeds, and feeds pollinators. Sown in late summer, it builds biomass into autumn and leaves the bed in great shape for spring.
Hotter, drier summers and increasingly dry winters are making many classic conifers struggle. Choose tougher genera and smaller cultivars, and prepare the soil properly to keep conifers thriving long-term.
Late summer doesn’t have to mean the end of growing. Choose quick-cropping vegetables and you can still enjoy fresh leaves and crunchy radishes before hard frosts arrive.
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia, also sold as Salvia yangii) brings airy texture and long-lasting lavender-blue colour from mid-summer into autumn. Once established, it thrives in sun and free-draining soil with very little maintenance.
September is ideal for tackling weeds, repairing lawns, dividing perennials and planning bulb planting while the soil is still warm and workable. A few timely jobs now will make next spring easier and your garden more resilient year-round.
Growing your own garlic is more work than buying it, but a few smart pre-planting steps can significantly boost yields and improve resilience. Learn how to prep cloves, deter onion fly, and plant correctly for a stronger crop.
Leave sedum flowerheads standing through winter for structure, wildlife value and frost-kissed beauty. Cut back in late winter as new shoots appear, and keep plants compact with good sun and drainage.
The biggest mistake when planting winter garlic in autumn often comes after planting: mulching the bed too soon. Learn when to cover the bed, what mulch to use, and how a thin, dry layer helps garlic overwinter without triggering premature growth.
Grapes won’t sweeten or ripen once they’ve been cut, so choosing the right harvest moment makes all the difference. Learn how to grow, train, prune and pick vines for flavourful, properly ripe bunches.
Hardy hibiscus brings huge, dinner-plate blooms and a bold splash of colour to summer borders. With the right light, moisture and feeding, you can coax it into flowering heavily for weeks.
Coneflowers (Echinacea) are tough, pollinator-friendly perennials that cope well with drought and lean soil, but they need one non-negotiable: excellent drainage. Learn when to plant, how to care for them, and whether to deadhead or leave seedheads for birds.
Not every fast-growing tree needs all-day sun. These reliable choices cope well with partial shade and quickly add structure, seasonal colour and privacy to your garden.
Late summer warmth in the soil makes autumn sowings surprisingly fast to germinate, and many crops actually taste better after a light frost. With smart timing and a few reliable choices, you can keep harvesting right up to the first hard freezes.
Sumac is a tough, drought-tolerant ornamental that delivers dramatic autumn colour with minimal fuss. Success depends mainly on a sunny, open position, free-draining soil, and planting at the correct depth.
Cucumbers grow fast and generously, but only when they have the right site. Avoid these eight problem spots to prevent weak growth, disease, and bitter or misshapen fruit.
September is often underestimated, yet it can save you a lot of work in spring. With warm soil and cooler air, it’s an ideal time for sowing hardy crops, planting bulbs, and getting ornamentals well rooted for an earlier start next year.
Strawberry plants typically lose vigour after about five years in the same bed. Set up a new, sunny strawberry patch in late summer or early autumn for stronger rooting and a heavier crop next season.
Sowing a lawn from seed is cost-effective and lets you match the grass mix to your garden conditions. With the right timing, thorough preparation and gentle aftercare, you’ll get a dense, resilient lawn that lasts.
Fig, pomegranate and even some olives can cope with increasingly dry summers in parts of the Czech Republic—provided you pick hardier cultivars and give them a warm, sheltered spot. With the right siting and winter protection, these “holiday” trees can reward you with real harvests at home.
Beds start to open up after early crops are harvested, and August is a perfect moment to sow dill again. With loose soil and steady moisture, you can keep harvesting tender, fragrant fronds through September and often well into October.
Carnations are far more varied and long-lasting than their old-fashioned reputation suggests. With simple care, they’ll shine in a vase for weeks and thrive in beds, rock gardens, and containers.
Hibiscus can cover itself in big, showy blooms for weeks on end, even though each flower is short-lived. Get the basics right—sun, evenly moist but well-drained soil, feeding, pruning, and pest checks—and flowering becomes longer and more reliable.
Gardenias are prized not only for their glossy evergreen foliage and elegant blooms, but above all for their rich, sweet scent. With the right light, acidic compost and steady care, they’ll reward you with abundant flowering indoors or out on a summer patio.
Lemongrass is a wonderfully aromatic plant for cooking, soothing tea, and even freshening the home. With a sunny spot and frost-free overwintering, it’s easy to grow in a pot almost anywhere.
Almond trees can be grown as ornamental spring-flowering trees or for a home harvest of edible almonds. Learn how to plant, care for, pollinate and prune them, and when to pick and dry the crop.
Dill doesn’t have to end with early summer. Sow again in August and you can keep harvesting fresh, fragrant leaves well into autumn.
Perennials are ideal for low-maintenance gardens, and many will stay attractive even through dry spells once established. Choose sun-loving, free-draining plants and you can enjoy a colourful border with far less watering.
Common yarrow is a tough, sun-loving perennial that keeps flowering through dry spells when many garden plants struggle. Give it lean, free-draining soil and restrained watering for strong stems and long-lasting colour.
Many soft-fruit shrubs have shallow roots and repay regular pruning, feeding and moisture with far better crops. If your garden soil isn’t naturally acidic, serviceberry is often a simpler stand-in for highbush blueberries.
Runner beans grow fast, flower beautifully, and quickly create a dense, living screen. With the right support, warmth, and steady watering, they’ll reward you with both shade and a generous crop of pods.
Buddleja (the butterfly bush) is a long-flowering, easy-going summer shrub when it has full sun and an annual prune. The main thing it won’t forgive is cold, waterlogged soil, which can rot the roots and lead to winter losses.
Coneflower is a tough, easy-going perennial that flowers from mid-summer well into autumn. It brings bold colour when many plants are fading and also feeds bees and butterflies.
Sunflowers bring bold summer colour to borders, patios and even balconies. With the right spot, steady watering and a little support, they’ll flower for weeks and can even provide seeds for birds or your pantry.
Lovage is a hardy perennial herb with a bold, celery-like flavour and plenty of uses beyond stock and soup. Learn where it thrives, how to propagate it, and how to harvest and use every edible part.
Scented pelargoniums can help make evening seating areas less appealing to mosquitoes while adding fragrance and colour to balconies and patios. Plant them in late spring for the strongest growth and best effect through summer.
Highbush and rabbiteye blueberries can produce cherry-sized berries, but size and sweetness depend as much on soil acidity, moisture, pruning, and pollination as on the cultivar itself. Learn which varieties to choose and the key growing steps that reliably improve berry size and flavour.
Bergenia is one of the most reliable perennials, valued for its bold evergreen foliage and early spring flowers. It thrives in shade or sun, is easy to care for, and adds colour right through winter.
Nasturtium is far more than a splash of colour in beds and window boxes. It’s edible, pleasantly peppery, and traditionally used as a natural support for colds and urinary or respiratory complaints.
Home-grown peaches often outshine shop-bought fruit for fragrance and flavour. With the right site, frost protection and pruning, you can harvest reliably sweet, juicy peaches even in cooler areas.
A summer getaway doesn’t have to mean coming home to crisped pots. With the right compost mix, placement and drought-tough plants, your containers can cope for up to two weeks without regular watering.
Hardy hibiscus can produce dinner-plate blooms, but only when light, moisture and soil are right. Learn how to plant, feed and care for it so it flowers longer and bigger.
Echinacea is a tough, sun-loving perennial, but it benefits from a more careful start in its first year. Pre-growing in a pot helps young plants establish stronger roots before they face tougher garden conditions.
Globe thistle (Echinops) is a striking, drought-tolerant perennial with steel-blue flower heads that pollinators love. It thrives in sunny, free-draining borders and also makes an excellent cut or dried flower.
Tayberries are a delicious raspberry-blackberry hybrid with aromatic, juicy fruit and generous yields. With the right support, planting spot, and care, they’ll thrive even in a smaller garden.
Tree aeonium is a striking succulent whose rosettes flush from green to deep red in strong light. With the right watering and a bright spot, it’s easy to grow and simple to propagate from cuttings.
Weeds don’t have to mean endless hoeing and sore knees. With a few tough, fast-spreading wild plants, you can cover bare soil, outcompete unwanted growth, and create a corner that buzzes with pollinators.
Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri) adds movement and a soft, airy look to borders and containers, while flowering for months. Give it sun and free-draining soil and it will reward you with minimal fuss and a long season of bloom.
Sweet peppers are generous plants when given warmth, sun, consistent moisture and the right feeding. Learn when to plant, how to prevent growth checks and disease, and how to harvest for the best colour and flavour.
Five-leaf akebia is a hardy, fast-growing climber with richly coloured, sweetly scented spring flowers and unusual, edible fruit. With the right siting and two compatible plants for pollination, it can thrive and crop even in Czech conditions.
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