Garden Answers

Garden Answers is a vibrant and inspiring gardening magazine filled with ingenious design ideas and exciting plant combinations guaranteed to make your garden beautiful.

Welcome

Meet the Contributors • “This month in the garden I’ll be…”

Celebrate THE MAGIC OF AUTUMN COLOUR • There is still much to celebrate in October borders, with colourful perennials and glorious grasses adding lots of interest. Echinacea purpurea ‘Rubinstern’ and ‘White Swan’, sedums ‘Matrona’ and ‘Red Cauli’, and Papaver rhoeas extend the growing season through to the first frosts

Be inspired by… • Plants, books, events & buys for the month

Embracing autumn • Welcome in the season and get ready for Halloween with these gardening goodies

NEWS

Wish list • These spooky plants have a dark side but will still look beautiful in your garden

WIN HENCHMAN SHEARS WORTH £95!

Legends of the Fall • Can you ID these fiery seasonal foliage favourites? Answers on page 12

What’s on…

ORCHID CONSERVATION

30-minute makes

KEW UP FOR ROSES!

Book of the month

Roses FOR EVERY GARDEN • Now is the time to order bareroot roses, ready for November planting, and Louise Curley’s guide will help you choose the best rose for every location

ZERO WASTE gardening • Sue Fisher explains how to reuse and compost all your waste to produce rich ‘black gold’

Scene-stealing PANICUM • Create seasonal drama in borders with striking switch grasses, says Sue Fisher

October • It’s time to keep dahlias going, divide perennials, plant a peony and why not make a leaf bin? There’s plenty to be getting on with as the days grow shorter

CHOOSE THE PERFECT PEONY • Plant a bareroot peony this autumn and enjoy their voluptuous blooms in spring

6 clever ways to IMPROVE YOUR POND • Autumn is a good time to get your pond in order and improve oxygen levels to help plants and wildlife

Introduce some AUTUMN SPARKLE • Vibrant late-flowering perennials add structure and colour late in the season interwoven with textural grasses

BERRIED TREASURE • Adrian Thomas showcases the wildlife value of berries in the garden

Where artistry meets horticulture • Geoff Hodge discovers a once-derelict Leicestershire plot that has been carefully crafted into a botanical masterpiece that shines in autumn

Global inspiration • Marina Jordan-Rugg visits a garden full of unusual trees and plants wrapped around a 17th century cottage, resulting in a wonderfully otherworldly landscape

Elegant Exbury • From woodland to wildflowers, Exbury has an ever-changing colour palette to delight every visitor

Enjoying Garden Answers?

Welcome to my lovely plot • If you put the hard work into your soil now, it will pay great dividends for your crops next year

GROW ELEPHANT GARLIC • This mega-sized bulb is actually part of the leek family and has a delicious, mellow flavour

Ask the Experts • Our experts will help you get the best from your garden

Q&A • Why are pear leaves spotted? How can I tackle bindweed? Read on…

Garden RESCUE • Informal prairie-style planting will give this empty space a real sense of purpose, says Ian Hodgson

HANDY HIDEAWAYS • Geoff Hodge checks out garden stores for hiding away all those essential gardening bits and bobs in style

Over to you!

Winged wonders • Here’s this month’s round-up of your top pretty pollinators… thanks for sharing!

Prize photo

Garden Answers

Fragrant Winter Shrubs • Breathe life into borders and containers at a time of year when most other plants have faded

FREE* Allium Collection of 100 bulbs •...