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The fall season changes the pace in the garden. Growth slows, leaves drop, and the days feel shorter. But there’s still plenty you can get on with, and these autumn garden ideas give you a few things to work through. Ready?
10 Best Autumn Garden Ideas
A mix of simple updates and ways to enjoy your outdoor space well before winter sets in. Right then, here’s what to do:
Create a wildlife-friendly haven
This season is a key time for wildlife like birds, hedgehogs, frogs, and insects. All are looking for food and shelter, and it doesn’t take much to give them a place to nest or hide.
You can help by adding these autumn garden ideas into your routine:
- Leave leaf piles in corners—leaves are easier to collect this time of year.
- Stack logs from leftover firewood, trimmed branches, or fallen limbs from nearby trees.
- Build a bug hotel and place it near a hedge or wall.
While you’re at it, top up feeders with seeds or suet and add a shallow bird bath if you haven’t already. Try to keep part of your garden a bit overgrown, too, to give them cover.
Plant hardy autumn and winter edibles
Keep your garden active, that way you have something fresh to pick even as the temperature drops! Luckily, you can still grow crops like kale, spinach, and beetroot at this time of year.
Herbs, such as thyme, parsley, and chives, carry on too, especially in pots or raised beds. Autumn-fruiting raspberries or blackberries can go in now as well. They’ll settle over winter and start producing next season.
Add autumn colour with grasses and perennials
(Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
If your garden is looking a bit flat, grasses and late-flowering perennials can break it up. Asters bring late-season flowers. Meanwhile, grasses like Miscanthus and purple moor grass add height and texture. Heuchera fills gaps with strong leaf colour that holds through the season.
Mix them into borders or place a few in pots near your seating areas or paths. Voila, you’ll get shape, movement, and colour, and they’ll carry on season to season.
Refresh flowerbeds and mulch the borders
(Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Now is a good time to get your beds in shape. Clear out anything that is past its best, pull up weeds, and trim back tired perennials. Add a layer of mulch around plants and across bare soil.
Might as well plant spring bulbs like crocuses, daffodils, or cyclamen for colours.
Install warm outdoor lighting around the garden
With days getting shorter, even a few lanterns or path lights can make your garden feel more inviting. Solar lights are easy to place and don’t need wiring. String them along fences or through tree branches. Motion-sensor LEDs near your garden room or along paths would also look lovely in the evening.
Create a cosy fire pit or lounge area
This autumn garden idea gives you a warm spot to sit out, even in late season. Keep it simple by placing a fire pit or chiminea near your patio, deck, or a corner with paving. Make sure it’s on a stable surface and away from fences, sheds, or low trees.
Complete the setup with wooden chairs or benches with cushions, with a few blankets. Great for a quiet break or a chat with family before heading in!
Repaint garden furniture or fencing in an autumn palette
Give your fence or wooden garden bench a new coat for a refresh. Go for colours that match the season: dark red, orange, or a warm brown. These bring out the autumn tones in the rest of the garden, even after leaves start dropping.
This is a good one to do on a dry weekend, but you’ll want to find a day with temperatures above 10°C. Also, consider using the same colour across your wooden shed, gate, and furniture to make it all tied in.
Set up a pergola
A pergola could be the turning point when updating your garden for autumn. Your space will have more shape and purpose, whether you’re using it to frame a seating spot or train climbers. Speaking of climbing plants, you can’t go wrong with Virginia creeper to bring in those rich autumn reds.
Put up a canopy or side panels, and you’ve got shelter when it rains. And with a few lights or a heater, it stays useful later in the day and through the colder weeks.
Convert a log cabin into an autumn retreat
Treat your log cabin like a room with a view. If you can, clear the whole space to refurnish it with these garden room furniture ideas. You’ll have somewhere to read, take a break, or sit with a drink alone or with your loved ones.
Keep the windows uncovered so you can see what’s going on in the garden. Birds and hedgehogs are likely to stop by (especially if invited). Or enjoy the view of leaves falling across the lawn.
Plant a sensory garden
A sensory garden deserves a spot in your British autumn landscape. Not just for how it looks, but also through scent, texture, and flavour. Start with sage, mint, and lavender, which bring strong aromas. Keep them close to walkways or seating so the scent catches you as you pass.
Use lamb’s ear or ornamental kale to add texture. For colour, go with edible flowers like nasturtiums or calendula. You don’t need to fill the whole space; a few grouped pots or a small corner with mixed planting will do.
Round-up
Autumn is a chance to use your garden in new ways. There’s still structure to build, colour to keep, and small projects to do. We hope these autumn garden ideas help you get more out of your space this season and prepare for the next!
Get more tips here: How to Use Your Garden Furniture in Autumn
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