Whilst this fantastic summer has been brilliant for ice cream vendors in Felixstowe,Suffolk gardeners might take a different view! As I look around my own garden I can see many plants that have suffered from the drought and will need replacing but rather than be despondent about the state of my garden I am rather excited. Why? Well, because autumn is approaching and this is a great time of the year to start laying the foundations for a beautiful garden next spring. I often refer to autumn as ‘nature’s natural time for planting’ – it’s a fantastic time of the year to be planting trees, shrubs, fruit bushes, climbing plants – realistically any hardy plant will benefit from being planted in the autumn. Why is that? The ground is still warm after this fantastic summer and this means that plants get a chance to establish roots into the soil before the winter onslaught of colder temperatures which in turn means that they get a kick start into next spring – they will put on more growth as they have had a good head start. Autumn’s cooler temperatures are also easier on both plants and of course gardeners! So, now is the time to start getting out into the garden and planting. Oh, and don’t forget that you can give your plants an even better boost by mixing Wonderpost 'Farm Fresh' Compost soil improver into the planting hole. This will not only provide essential nutrients but will help retain moisture. I also like to put a nice thick layer of Wonderpost soil improver around the base of newly planted trees and shrubs, about 6 inches thick. This will act as a mulch which will suppress weeds and help to conserve moisture.

Happy autumn gardening!