'Tender' plants to stay away from this autumn to avoid a frostbitten garden

24 October 2023 , 11:02

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Autumn is a busy time for gardening, but you should never plant certain things at this time of year. (Stock Photo) (Image: Getty Images)

There are plenty of things to be getting on with in your garden this autumn, before you're plunged into the cold temperatures and frosts of the winter months. From ensuring your existing sensitive plants are protected from the upcoming frosts to collecting fallen leaves as a super nutrient rich compost and soil topper - if you're green-fingered you are likely to already have a pretty long to-do list for the season.

While there are also a lot of bulbs that you can safely plant in the autumn, there are certain plants you should avoid planting at this stage, because they aren't hardy enough to survive the cold months while they are young. Planting things like dahlias or most geraniums now could leave you with a green space filled with frost bitten plants and without any of the spring blooms you'd hoped you might be able to enjoy next year.

A huge amount of planting should take place in autumn, and can safely do so as long as you time it well. It's best done when the soil is moist, but not cold - so earlier in the autumn is best for many plants, according to Gardener's World. If you've left it a little late this year then some plants will be best left until the spring because they aren't hardy enough to survive the frosts.

This includes agapanthus, most types of geraniums, canna, verbena, argyranthemums, begonias, dahlias, marigolds, fuchsias, salvias, and fruit trees like olives and lemons, amongst many others. Many of these plants can't first be planted outdoors or sown into the ground at this time of year because they are originally native to much warmer climates than the UK - according to Plews Garden Design - like the Mediterranean for instance, which means they are classed as 'tender' or not hardy.

Tender plants that are already established in your garden over winter, particularly in any frost pockets in your green space, should be protected with horticultural fleece, cloches or moved to a greenhouse or lean-to for the frosty months, according to the Royal Horticultural Society. However, there are many frost-hardy plants that you can still place in your garden in the autumn, so there is still a huge amount you can do at this time of year to ensure you'll enjoy beautiful spring blooms.

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Daffodils, tulips and snow drops should all be planted at this time of year - and snow drops in particular will provide you with the optimistic sight of the upcoming spring as one of the first blooms of the year. Lillies and allium bulbs can also be planted at this time of year as can herbaceous perennials like Yarrow.

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Emma Mackenzie