For every month of the year, Thompsons Plant & Garden Centre will be offering you our expert advice on all things gardening.

We aim to use our everyday knowledge of gardening to help you on your way to creating, maintaining or improving your garden. We'll use tips from our expert nursery growers on all things planting, flowering and growing as well as general gardening tips from our garden centre staff.

January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | Sept & Oct | Nov & Dec

September & October

Tidy Up

Remove all annual plants that have finished flowering and remove any damaged or diseased leaves. Later on, rake leaves, trim shrubs and divide perennials ready for next year.

Start Composting

During the winter months there are plenty of cuttings and leaves. Add them to your compost bin and give them a good chance to break down and produce nutrient-rich compost for next year.

Plant Your Bulbs

Early autumn is the perfect time to plant Snowdrops, Crocuses, Hyacinths, Daffodils and all your other favourite spring flowering bulbs. At Thompsons we've got a great range for you to choose from, as well as some fantastic multi-buy offers. Plant them now and reap the rewards next spring!

Plant Popular Winter Shrubs

plant for winter colour. Try Skimmia Japonica, a colourful evergreen leaf plant with compact buds which change colour from white to pink/red. Another good choice is Viburnum Tinus. It produces large, fragrant clusters of white flowers from mid winter, followed by small metalic coloured blue berries.

Encourage Wildlife

Provide extra food for nature's visitors. Hang fat ball snacks or put bird mix in a food holder. Be sure to place the feeders near a tall shrub, fence or mature tree to provide pretection from predetors. Hang bird boxes to offer shelter from the elements. Berry-bearing plants provide extra food sources for birds and other wildlife, and add a lovely wintery look to colour-deprived winter gardens. Try plants such as Firehorn, Rowan, Holly or Berberis.