ith the turning back of the clocks, we once again say farewell to another season and to the onset of autumn and winter. Except for the sideswipe from Hurricane Wilma, we have been fortunate ? so far ? to have avoided damage to the garden and this is a good time to prepare for the cooler months ahead.

Cooler temperatures reduce the need to irrigate new plantings but you should still keep an eye out for plantings showing stress. Annuals and bulbs are now becoming available for the coming season, and are in effect the anchor for autumn and winter flowering in the garden. Annuals can be purchased in cell packs or with certain varieties sown direct from seeds and transplanted or thinned out once germination has taken place.

The colour range available is tremendous, both within each genus and throughout the numerous species collectively. In tandem with colour, height and leaf shape, they are also interesting features to use to highlight various areas of the garden. They can be used as mixed plantings in and around foundation plantings of tree and shrubs, as carpet bedding, or simply as edging or in containers. Taller plants should be used to the rear of the border ? if viewed from one side ? or in the centre of the plantings if viewed from all sides; with medium sized plants being used as the middle plantings and the low growing varieties found to the front of the beds. Use bold or mass plantings to make a statement, and to add interest consider using irregular or geometric shapes to bring the bed more to life.

When purchasing annuals in cell packs, always check for pest and disease problems, and also be aware of the conformity of size within the cell pack. Plants should be all the same height, robust and most importantly not too tall and drawn; they should certainly not be pot bound ? the cell being full of roots ? as they will not grow out of this condition and produce a good plant.

Water cell packs in before planting and continue to water seedlings until they become established, however, over-watering can be just as bad as under-watering; liquid fertiliser should also be given to ensure good healthy growth. Watering is necessary simply to ensure the mix in the cell pack, which is basically a soil-less compost. does not dry out.

Once planted keep an eye out for pest problems such as aphids or cutworms and treat accordingly. Diseases can also be a problem in the early stages, especially when transplanting into the ground, never hold a seedling by its stem as it may crush the tissue and result in a fungal problem; seedlings should always be ?lifted? by holding the lower juvenile leaves inserted in the planting hole and gently ?firmed? in, not crushed!

Bulbs and other plants grown from ?underground? parts can be inter-planted within the mixed border, grown as part of the mixed annual bulb border, in drifts around the bole of a tree or scattered randomly in a woodland setting or long grass or simply in containers for use as spot plantings.

Included in this group are a wide variety of material which will bloom at various times throughout the year, from the annual appearance of freesias, daffodils, canna and general cool season bulbs to the more exotic types. In the latter case we can include such gems as Agapanthus africanus (Lily of the Nile) the more common type having blue flowers and dwarf varieties being found in white and blue.

Crocosmia varieties, commonly called Montbretia are now being sold in the local nurseries and are well worth a try, colours are in the red/orange to yellow range, height to twenty four inches; they bloom during the summer months.

An old favourite which seems to come and go with time, is Eucharis amazonica or Amazon lily, its white blooms appear from December to March and it prefers full shade. Sprekelia formosissima or Aztec lily has red flowers and usually blooms between late winter and summer, a time when a little colour is welcomed in the garden. Another old favourite worthy of consideration is the Calla lily or Zantedeschia aethiopica, which produces pure white flowers from spring to summer, and prefers partial shade to give of its best.

A little beauty which is blooming at this time of year is the Zephyranthes grandiflora or Pink Fairy lily, its light pink flowers attaining a height of no more than eighteen inches brings to light the areas at ground level which can often look bare; will adapt to full or partial shade.

@EDITRULE:

I notice whilst travelling the Island the increased use of horticultural waste or mulch, much of it from the Pembroke Dump. The use of mulch is misunderstood in that as it acts as a ?blanket? to cover soil and therefore roots, one needs to ask why we do it.

Well composted mulch, which is to the point of being humus ? the decomposed horticultural waste ? is good for ?turning? into the soil after its use as a mulch is complete. However, much of the mulch available to the public is not well composted but consists of large pieces of bark which will take a long time to break down, as well as bits of plastic. As this consists of a cross section of composted to partially composted it looks untidy, bur more importantly, the process of the mulch breaking down into a state of humus then turns it into a growing medium, which in turn encourages weed growth! While you may think you are suppressing weed growth, in fact you are only delaying its appearance.