Continue to feed and dead-head flowering plants – they will often keep going until the first frosts. You can keep your raised planter in colour by taking the dead or fading blooms off regularly – add a liquid feed into the self-watering reservoir and they’ll stay happily fed and watered.
And if you’ve been growing bedding plants that are starting to fade then clear them away to make way for some autumn flowering varieties such as chrysanthemums, sedum, violas and winter bedding plants and keep the colour going – combine with grasses for a lovely autumn display.
Dahlias are easy to grow in a garden4me planter and should be a mass of colour at this time of year, producing their best displays. Keep taking off the faded blooms to encourage new ones to appear. Whatever you decide to plant, why not tuck some bulbs in the compost underneath the plants for flowering in spring – try daffodils, hyacinths, crocus and iris. They like good drainage so will thrive in garden4me planters – the compost doesn’t waterlog as roots take up just the water they need using the capillary action.
You can easily create an autumn and winter display in your raised planter that will require minimum maintenance. For instant impact, outdoor chrysanthemums are sold in full flower now so just add into position. You can also find decorative brassicas with beautiful shades from deep purple to white, brilliant greens, mauves and pink that form rosettes of plain or frilly foliage – they look wonderful and will last late into winter/early spring. Ornamental grasses can give shape and add height while pretty, trailing ivies will soften the edges of your container. Add Heucheras for spots of colour and depth.
Heathers will also give you a colourful display – they are easy to grow and long-flowering – the ideal low-maintenance plant. Winter-flowering heathers have another great attribute – they are bee-friendly – they are a lifeline for bumblebees and solitary bees, which do not store food and emerge in mild spells in winter and early spring. Don’t forget heathers need ericaceous compost – if you’re using our growing pockets then it’s easy to make sure you have the right compost for the right plant.
It’s not too soon to start thinking about a Christmas display in your raised planter – you can start to sow some amaryllis and hyacinths which will be ready in time for the festive season and will make a lovely addition to your outdoor Christmas décor. And add in some red and white cyclamens and mix with pretty winter-flowering pansies and violas for colour and for texture, evergreen ferns.