Bringing Colour to Every Season: Year-Round Garden Planning

As the weather begins to change, we may find ourselves spending less time in our gardens. In this article, we will be exploring all the secrets that come with maintaining a vibrant and colourful garden in every season, with your gardening design team, including the autumn and winter. From bursts of spring blooms to the slumber of winter, we want to ensure that you are enjoying your garden, all year round. 

Plan Your Garden’s Palette With Your Garden Design Team

When it comes to planning your garden space, it’s a good idea to get a specialised team in to help. Selecting a diverse range of plants will allow you to bring colour to every season – making your garden an enjoyable place to be in all year round. By speaking to your local gardening design team, you will be able to get a better understanding of different bloom times and colours you can have. 

When it comes to estate management, the style of your landscape will greatly influence your colour choices. As professionals in this area, we recommend balancing your warm and cool colours. By combining those distinctly bright tones, such as red, orange and yellow with your colder palette like blue, green and purple, you can create a garden with great visual interest. A balance of both these colour palettes will lead to a harmonious blend and be visually appealing to the eye. You can also play with foliage as an additional colour element. Green is the perfect neutral colour in gardens, which can provide the ideal backdrop for many other hues. 

 The Art of Seasonal Planting

When experimenting with colours in your garden space, it’s important to take seasonal changes into account. As summer turns to autumn, you will need to plan for year-round interest by selecting plants which can provide a completely different colour palette in different seasons. To ensure a vibrant and continuously appealing garden, implement a strategy of succession planting. This means planning for various plants to bloom in the same area sequentially. As one set of plants naturally fades, the next set will take over, providing ongoing colour and visual interest.

 For the UK, it’s essential to align planting times with local climate conditions. Research the average bloom times of your chosen plants and stagger planting dates accordingly to maximise the impact of each variety. Group plants with similar bloom times in clusters, allowing one cluster to take over when another is past its peak. 

We would recommend selecting long-blooming plant varieties, both perennials and annuals, that can provide colour for several weeks or months. To maintain interest even when flowers are in bloom, incorporate evergreen trees, shrubs, and plants with colourful foliage. For those with vegetable or herb gardens, plan for continuous harvest by staggering plantings throughout the growing season. This approach will keep your garden vibrant and captivating year-round.

The Best Autumn Plant Choices

According to Home & Garden, November is the time to ‘plant up autumn/winter containers, to provide colour throughout the colder months. Evergreen shrubs, Hellebores and Skimmias, Cyclamen and winter flowering Violas make great displays, lasting until early spring’. By choosing the right plants, you can add a touch of warmth and colour to your outdoor space, during this typically grey season. When it comes to the best autumn plant choices, there are so many to choose from. 

For flowering perennial plants, some of one of our favourites has to be Asters. We consider Asters the true stars of autumn, as they offer a wide range of colours, including the cool-toned purples, pinks and white. These daisy-like blooms can add a touch of elegance to any estate or garden. We also love Helenium, as a flowering option for your garden. According to Horticulture.co.uk, ‘if you look after them properly, they’ll come back year after year’.  These flowers are rich with warm hues like deep reds and oranges, which can make the perfect choice alongside Asters. 

If you are on the lookout for some annual bloomers, we would also recommend Pansies. They come in various shades, so can fit many aesthetics. They also have a long bloom period which often extends far into the autumn season. Finally, for shrubs, we would suggest Witch Hazel and Euonymus Alatus. 

How To Get The Perfect Autumn Foliage

Incorporating trees and shrubs into your stunning autumn foliage can also increase how visually appealing your landscape can be. Firstly, we would suggest working with your gardening design team to select focal points within your garden or estate space. You can choose deciduous or evergreen trees and shrubs which will have vibrant autumn foliage and then place them strategically in eye-catching spots. Not only can these draw the attention of visitors, but they can also add seasonal interest. 

We would also suggest looking at contrasting the colours of your trees and shrubs. By combining trees and shrubs with contrasting autumn colours, you will be able to create a visually striking effect. For example, pairing a maple tree with red foliage and a smoke bush with purple leaves can be eye-catching. 

Or, in autumn, the Euonymus Alatus changes into a beautiful shade of red, which can make a stunning focal point in your garden. Witch Hazel is also extremely popular. These plants smell amazing and come in eye-catching shades of yellow, orange and red. They often bloom in late winter, but can sometimes have a second flush of flowers in the autumn season. 

Preparing For The Winter Months

As well as planning out how to bring colour to every season in autumn, you will also need to consider how to maintain your garden space in the colder months. 

Pruning Your Plants Ready For Winter 

Firstly, pruning your trees and shrubs during their dormant season, which is typically late winter or early spring, while promoting further growth when spring comes. Your gardening design team will remove any dead or diseased branches in order to maintain their shape and stimulate new foliage to grow. 

Why Mulching Matters 

During this season, it’s also a great idea to apply a layer of mulch around the base of your trees and shrubs. This will increase their chances of retaining moisture and regulate soil temperature. When it starts to get frosty, the delicate root system your plants have created can be affected. Mulch offers a protective layer and even enhances the overall appearance of your garden. 

Winter Watering Schedule

It’s vital that even in the autumn and winter, your trees, plants and shrubs all receive an adequate amount of water. You may have to slightly adjust your watering schedule with the seasons changing, but to help maintain healthy foliage and vibrate autumn colours, knowing when to water your plants is a must. 

Pest & Disease Management

It’s also important to not forget about pests and diseases in the colder months. Your gardening design team will be sure to inspect your trees and shrubs for any signs of pests and diseases. It’s vital to address issues like this promptly to maintain the health and appearance of the plants.

Designing Your Garden For Autumn

As well as adding a bout of colour through your tree, plant and shrub choices, you can also add some fun design elements which can make your garden an exciting place to be in, even during the autumn and winter. 

Country Living states that ‘lighting is the best way to add interest and personality to your garden’ during autumn. With the days getting shorter, it can mean that we have less daylight to spend outside – festive lighting can be the answer. Why install a string of fairy lights around your pergolas, or along mapped out garden paths to create a warm and inviting ambiance? As well as being able to enjoy the garden lighting outside, you can also find pleasure viewing your landscape from your house’s windows. 

Another way to get the most out of your garden in the autumn is to install a fire pit or outdoor heater. If you are planning on entertaining this festive season, a fire pit can create a unique and cosy gathering spot, where you can enjoy the garden with guests on the cooler evenings. 

Peppered in between your arranged shrubs and flowers, we would also suggest adding an array of garden ornaments. These decorative elements can be strategically placed throughout your garden, catching the eye and reflecting the warm autumn light. 

How Our Groundwork Services Can Help You

Here at BZ Gardens, our team of professional gardeners have the expertise and experience to help you craft a tailored garden design which will perfectly align with your requirements and space. As the colder months roll around, we want to ensure that your garden is still flourishing to its full potential. Our groundwork services can help make your space functional, and well-organised. If you have any questions, or would like to set your garden up in time for winter, don’t be afraid to contact one of our team at