Garden experts pick the best plants to plant this autumn
Looking for inspiration of what to plant this autumn? We asked top gardening gurus to give their selection of the best plants for different locations and conditions
Fabulous ferns
With their earthy magic and eye-catching fronds, ferns are a firm favourite for many gardeners. This ancient group of plants have survived climate change, dinosaurs and a plant craze in Victorian times that nearly drove them to extinction, but they remain indispensable in our gardens.
Polypodium vulgare
Dryopteris sieboldii
Asplenium trichomanes
Polystichum 'Spiny Holly'
Blechnum chilense
Asplenium scolopendrium 'Angustatum'
Dicksonia antarctica
Adiantum venustum
Blechnum penna-marina
Blechnum spicant
Polystichum setiferum 'Pulcherrimum Bevis'
Cyrtomium fortunei
Reliable bulbs year on year
Pouring through autumn bulb catalogues is a rare pleasure, seeking out those treasures to fill your garden, but some will last more than one season, making them a long-term investment that saves you money and will keep on growing.
Fritillaria meleagris
Leucojum vernum
Camassia quamash
Cyclamen coum
Crocus tommasinianus
Allium siculum
Crocus 'Ladykiller'
Scilla luciliae (Gigantea Group) 'Alba'
Tulipa sylvestris (15)
Narcissus cyclamineus (13)
Narcissus pseudonarcissus (13)
Ornithogalum pyrenaicum
Roses on repeat
Rosa 'Julia's Rose' (HT)
Rosa Gertrude Jekyll ('Ausbord'PBR) (S)
Rosa 'Perle d'Or' (Poly)
Rosa 'Hansa' (Ru)
Rosa The Generous Gardener ('Ausdrawn'PBR) (Cl)
Rosa Chandos Beauty ('Harmisty'PBR) (HT)
Rosa 'Madame Boll' (DPo)
Rosa 'Esme' (HT)
Rosa 'Reine des Violettes' (HP)
Rosa 'Climbing Cécile Brünner' (ClPoly)
Rosa 'Direktör Benschop' (ClF)
Rosa Lichfield Angel ('Ausrelate'PBR) (S)
Gentle self-seeders
Every garden needs a dainty gap-filler, and these plants, picked by experts, are the best to try in your gardens for a little bit of delicous froth. Take the laissez-faire approach, allowing them to add unexpected pleasure to sometimes tricky spaces.
Erigeron annuus
Verbascum roripifolium
Primula veris (Pr)
Tulipa sprengeri (15)
Geranium nodosum
Lotus hirsutus
Persicaria orientalis
Seseli elatum subsp. osseum
Hesperis matronalis
Deschampsia cespitosa
Digitalis purpurea
Papaver dubium subsp. lecoqii 'Albiflorum'
Pond plants
Hydrocharis morsus-ranae
Pontederia cordata
Typha minima
Veronica beccabunga
Caltha palustris
Anemopsis californica
Eriophorum angustifolium
Nymphaea 'Pygmaea Rubra' (H)
Mentha pulegium
Myosotis scorpioides
Luronium natans
Alisma plantago-aquatica
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This page is an adaptation of articles published in 2024 editions of The Garden magazine, free to RHS members every month when you join the RHS.