Autumn Gardening - Plant your bulbs for spring.

After a lovely Summer its time to think about getting your garden in order for the Autumn and Winter.

It's a great time of year to plant your bulbs ready for the spring time. If you plant them at the beginning of the Autumn when the ground is still soft, there will be enough time for them to take root before the frost and cold set in.

So where would you get your bulbs from in Havant?

Here's a rundown of the local garden centres.

 Wyevale  - Havant Garden Centre have a nice range of bulbs and can give expert advice on how to plant them. They sell jumbo packs of bulbs for £5.99 and have a variety to choose from. Crocus's look beautiful and Narcissi are very popular with so many different varieties! Hyacinth and Tulips provide striking colours. If you want one particular colour go for Purple and plant Iris's and Alliums. you can have any colour you choose from hot Pink to warm red and yellows! All their bulbs start from 20p each so you can mix and match or you can buy the jumbo packs. If you join the Havant Garden Centre's Free Gardening club you can earn reward points, claim reward vouchers and attend exclusive seasonal events and preview events too. Plus you get some helpful discounts too. Their website can be found HERE

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Homebase in Bedhampton sell a wide range of bulbs and seeds and have a good offer on at the moment. 3 packs of bulbs for £10. Single pack price is £3.99 and you can buy all different colours and varieties.

They also have 20% off selected Garden Power tools and lawnmowers. Handy to use now and for next year! I need a new lawnmower, mine conked out on me yesterday while mowing the grass. Its the third lawnmower I have broken and its always the same thing, sparks fly and smoke comes out of the on switch and it fizzles and dies. I need to get a more powerful one I think - I would love a sit and ride one! Homebase also sell blower vac's for autumn leaves have £20 off selected ones at the moment. Really handy for clearing debris and keeping the garden tidy.

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B&Q sell reasonably priced bulbs and seeds and although the garden centre is quite small outside, inside they have loads of garden equipment and lawn feeds, treatments and weedkillers. They have bulb Planters for just £3.48 with a depth gauge to see how far you need to dig down. They have packs of bulbs from 1.99 upwards and a variety of daffodils, tulips and crocuses. They also have reasonably priced fencing and garden sheds so pop down and see what they have on offer.

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Wilkinson's have always sold some really cheap gardening equipment and plants. Very often, there are racks of boxed bedding plants at

reasonable prices along with a good selection of spring bulbs. This

store is great for Gardening Equipment like trowels, planters and hand tools. Pop in and see what they have on offer when you are down Havant.

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Some tips for Autumn Gardening.

* Plan where you are going to plant your bulbs. If you have a small garden think about planting some in colourful pots to place around certain areas in the garden. Think about what they will look like when they come up next spring and work out the best colours for maximum impact. You can plant bulbs of one variety together too for effect.

* Be sure to position the bulbs at their proper depth. They must be

planted so their bottoms rest at a depth two-and-a-half times each

bulb’s diameter. In well-drained or sandy soil, plant an inch or two

deeper to increase life.

* Keep watering hanging baskets and remember to dead head the flowers. You can start to reduce feeding them now too. You can take out dead summer flowers and put in winter pansies, ivy and maybe a small fir.

* Remember the birds and wildlife and clear nest boxes and make sure you refill bird feeders and keep topping up the water. Also turn over piles of debris in the garden before burning to make sure there are no hedgehogs about to hibernate in the base.

* Give your lawn a good rake over removing any debris and leaves and if you can, get some aeration into the lawn by spiking it using a garden fork. The holes you create will help increase its ability to drain water and to get more air. It's recommended by lawn care experts and won't damage your lawn.

* Remember your houseplants too this time of year and be careful not to over water them. Indoor plants like Ferns should be kept moist but peace lilies should be kept on the dry side throughout the cooler months.

If you have any gardening tips please share them with us

Will you be preparing your garden for winter?