How to Decorate Your Home & Garden for Halloween Get inspired with our ideas, tips and seasonal touches to create a spooktacular look, inside and out. Halloween is creeping closer, and it’s the perfect time to have a little fun with your home and garden! Whether you love a full-on spooky display or prefer something a little more subtle and stylish, Halloween decorating is a wonderful way to transform your space for the season. From welcoming front doors to cosy interiors, there are plenty of ways to add a touch of autumn magic. Welcome them in Make an entrance Your front door is the perfect place to start. A Halloween wreath instantly sets the scene and can be as spooky or as sophisticated as you like. Add pumpkins, autumn foliage, lanterns or seasonal decorations around your doorway to create a welcoming entrance with a Halloween twist. For something really atmospheric, introduce a few lanterns or lights to create a warm glow as the evenings draw in. Outside Give your garden a spooky makeover You don’t need a huge garden to create a Halloween display. Think about the areas people will see first – around your front door, along a path or beside your entrance. A few carefully chosen decorations can make a big impact. Pumpkins are a Halloween essential, and there’s so much more you can do than simply carving them. Arrange pumpkins and gourds in different shapes, colours and sizes together with autumn plants and foliage to create a beautiful seasonal display. For a more traditional Halloween look, add some spooky characters, skeletons, witches or creepy creatures to your garden and let your imagination run wild! Create a little Halloween magic with lighting As the nights get darker, lighting really comes into its own. Fairy lights, lanterns and outdoor lighting can help bring your Halloween display to life after dark. Try placing lights around trees, shrubs, pots or along pathways to highlight your decorations. The secret is in your lighting — rather than relying on one bright light, use several smaller sources at different heights to create depth and atmosphere. Bring Halloween indoors Halloween doesn’t have to stop at the front door. Bring the season inside with pumpkins, autumn foliage, candles, lanterns and small decorative touches around your home. A simple arrangement on a console table, mantelpiece or dining table can instantly give your home a seasonal feel. For a more sophisticated look, choose a palette of deep oranges, warm browns, black and autumnal neutrals rather than making everything traditionally spooky. Go spooky… or keep it stylish One of the best things about Halloween decorating is that there are no rules! If scary is your style, go all out with cobwebs, skeletons, witches, ghosts and creepy creatures. If you prefer something more understated, take inspiration from the colours and textures of autumn. Pumpkins, dried foliage, lanterns and natural decorations can create a beautiful Halloween-inspired display that blends effortlessly with your existing home and garden. Don’t forget the little details Sometimes it’s the smallest details that make the biggest difference. A collection of pumpkins and gourds, a few lanterns, autumn foliage or a seasonal wreath can instantly bring your Halloween display together. Mix different shapes, colours and textures to create an arrangement that feels natural and layered. You can keep things elegant with traditional autumn shades or add a few spooky touches for a more playful look. Ready to get spooky? Whether you’re planning a spectacular Halloween garden, decorating the front door or simply adding a few seasonal touches around your home, Halloween is the perfect excuse to get creative. If you’d like to find out more or have questions then please do come and talk to our experts CONTACT US

There’s plenty to be doing in the garden this month as the season comes to an end. Here’s a summary, but scroll down if you want more information on any of these jobs! In the Vegetable Plot Remove foliage from potatoes Pinch out tomato side shots Raise pumpkins and squash off soil Cover brassicas Plant autumn onion sets Sow early carrot varieties for next year Remove finished crops In the Flower Bed Feed and deadhead containers Plant autumn flowering plants and spring flowering bulbs Prune climbing and rambling roses Around the Garden Give your lawn a bit of TLC Set up compost bins Raise pots off the ground Install water butts In the vegetable plot Remove foliage from potatoes Prevent blight affecting maincrop potato tubers as you lift them by pulling or cutting off foliage three weeks before you lift them. This also helps to firm the skins of the potatoes. Pinch out tomato side shoots If you haven’t already, pinch out the side shoots on tomatoes so that the plant can direct it’s energy to producing ripe fruits. Raise pumpkins and squash off soil Help your pumpkins ripen up by removing any leaves that are shadowing the fruits. Raise pumpkins and squash on a piece of slate or wood to raise them off the soil and prevent them rotting. Cover brassicas Cover broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc with netting to stop the birds from feasting on them. Plant autumn onion sets Start planting autumn onion sets, and at the end of the month, plant garlic bulbs for next year’s crop. Sow early carrot varieties for next year If you want an early crop of carrots next year, sow early varieties in the ground now and cover them with a cloche, or grow them in pots in the greenhouse. Remove finished crops Start removing any finished crops and pull up weeds to get tidy for winter. When beans and peas have finished cropping, cut the down to ground level, but leave the roots in the soil as they will slowly release nitrogen in to the soil as the roots rot. In the flower beds Feed and deadhead containers If you continue to feed and dead-head pots, containers and hanging baskets they will often continue to produce colour until the first frosts. Dead-heading Penstemons, Dahlias and Roses will also extend their flowering period. Plant autumn flowering plants and spring flowering bulbs If you have noticed some gaps in your flower beds and borders, autumn-flowering plants such as chrysanthemum and sedum will give you some extended colour and fill in the holes. Now is also the time to start planting Spring flowering bulbs such as crocus, hyacinths and daffodils, along with new perennials whilst the soil is still warm and we expect increased rainfall. Prune climbing and rambling roses If you have climbing or rambling roses, prune them back once they’ve finished flowering (apart from repeat flowering varieties which should be left). Around the garden Give your lawn a bit of TLC Use a spring tine rake to remove debris from the surface of your lawn and then use a garden fork to aerate the soil. You can then spread a top dressing and work it in to the fork holes with a stiff brush. Set up compost bins If you want to make compost at home, get your compost bins set up now so that fallen leaves and dead plant material can go in to them over the coming months. Be careful not to put any diseased plant material in as the spores can remain in the compost and re-infect your plants. Raise pots off the ground Raise your pots off the ground by using bricks or, pot feet to help them drain more freely and prevent water logging. As temperatures drop, water in the soil can freeze and expand, potentially causing pots to crack or split. Install water butts Install water butts to collect the rain over the autumn and winter, great for watering plants that like acidic growing conditions (ericaceous) such as Camellias, Rhododendrons and Azaleas. For the wildlife… Autumn tidy-up Try not to go too mad with the autumn tidy up – gardens provide fantastic shelter for wildlife over autumn. Food & water Continue to leave out fresh water and food for birds – high calorie foods such as sunflower hearts and fat balls will be beneficial for this and the coming months. Meat-based cat or dog food will be appreciated by hedgehogs looking for food before hibernation. Log / leaf piles & bug hotels Make a log, leaf pile and/ or bug hotel – this provides a safe and sheltered space for animals and insects throughout the colder months. Nest boxes Clean out old nest boxes or put up a new one! Though nesting season is over, birds will still use them as a place of refuge over the colder months (and use it as an opportunity to stake out any new homes for next year nesting season). Ponds Clean out your ponds of old debris and fallen leaves to prevent them rotting over autumn and winter, and tidy up pond plants. What To Plant In September If you’d like to find out more or have questions then please do come and talk to our experts CONTACT US

September is a wonderful month for harvests, with allotments and gardens alike full of bountiful grows. However, sowing varieties now makes for an earlier crop in spring! Here are our top recommendations for planting in the month of September… Veg to plant in September… Spinach Spinach can be sown directly into the ground now to be enjoyed next spring. Broad Beans Sowing broad beans now means they have time to establish over winter. Cover with fleece in extreme conditions. Garlic Garlic is a fantastic vegetable to grow, and can be planted now. Peas Peas can be planted now to allow time to establish and overwinter. Flowers to plant in September… Nigella Nigella or ‘love in a mist’ is a beautiful and popular plant that can be sown now to blooms early spring. Poppies Poppies can be sown in autumn for early summer blooms. Queen Anne’s Lace A popular cutting flower – Queen Anne’s Lace can be sown now for displays next summer. If you’d like to find out more or have questions then please do come and talk to our experts CONTACT US