Green Shoots Gardens home

Seasonal guide

In the garden this month

What is looking its best in gardens around Cheltenham right now, and the jobs worth doing. Many of these plants feature in our designs.

January Winter structure and scent

Looking good now

  • Witch hazel (Hamamelis): spidery yellow and copper flowers on bare stems, with a spicy scent
  • Christmas box (Sarcococca): small white flowers you smell before you see; perfect by a front door
  • Hellebores: nodding flowers in plum, white and green that last for weeks
  • Dogwoods (Cornus): red and orange stems that glow in low winter sun

Jobs for the month

  • Prune wisteria: cut summer side shoots back to two or three buds.
  • Leave grass seed heads standing for frost, structure and birds.
  • Plan changes now, while the bones of the garden are easy to see.

February First flowers

Looking good now

  • Snowdrops: drifts under trees and shrubs, best planted 'in the green' after flowering
  • Hellebores: still at their best; cut away old leaves so the flowers show
  • Early crocus: nectar for the first bumblebees on sunny days
  • Daphne: intensely fragrant pink flowers on a compact evergreen

Jobs for the month

  • Cut back deciduous grasses such as feather reed grass before new shoots appear.
  • Prune late-flowering clematis hard, to a pair of buds near the base.
  • Clear beds of old stems, leaving some hollow ones for insects.

March Spring lifts off

Looking good now

  • Daffodils: from tiny 'Tete-a-tete' to tall, scented varieties
  • Lungwort (Pulmonaria): spotted leaves and blue-pink flowers for shade, loved by bees
  • Star magnolia: white starry flowers on a slow-growing shrub
  • Euphorbia: acid-green heads that light up a border

Jobs for the month

  • Divide large clumps of summer perennials to make more plants.
  • Mulch beds with compost or bark after rain to keep moisture in.
  • Comb dead leaves out of evergreen grasses rather than cutting them.

April Blossom and bulbs

Looking good now

  • Tulips: deep reds and purples look wonderful with fresh green foliage
  • Amelanchier: clouds of white blossom, then bronze young leaves
  • Epimedium: delicate flowers above heart-shaped leaves in dry shade
  • Forget-me-nots: a haze of blue between other plants

Jobs for the month

  • Start mowing regularly, with the blades set high.
  • Put supports in for tall perennials now, before they need them.
  • Feed shrubs and roses as they start into growth.

May The border fills out

Purple allium heads above a grassy border next to a lawn

Looking good now

  • Alliums: purple drumsticks floating above the planting
  • Geums: warm orange and red flowers for weeks on end
  • Camassia: spires of blue for damp ground and meadows
  • Wisteria: long, scented tassels on walls and pergolas

Jobs for the month

  • Do the 'Chelsea chop' in late May on sedums and asters for sturdier plants.
  • Plant out tender plants once the frost risk has passed in mid to late May.
  • Let a patch of lawn grow long for wildflowers and pollinators.

June Peak flower power

Feather grass, white erigeron, silver lamb's ears and purple verbena in a corten-edged bed

Looking good now

  • Roses: climbers and shrub roses in full flush
  • Salvias: spikes of purple and red that bees love
  • Catmint (Nepeta): soft lavender-blue that edges paths beautifully
  • Mexican fleabane (Erigeron): tiny white and pink daisies spilling over steps and walls

Jobs for the month

  • Deadhead roses and perennials to keep the flowers coming.
  • Water new plantings deeply once a week rather than a little every day.
  • Cut salvias and catmint back after the first flush for a second one.

July Height and movement

Front garden with feather reed grass and purple verbena inside a red brick wall

Looking good now

  • Verbena bonariensis: airy purple heads you can see through, flowering until the frosts
  • Lavender: silver foliage and scent along paths and terraces
  • Echinacea: cone flowers in pink and white for bees and butterflies
  • Feather reed grass: tall upright plumes that turn golden

Jobs for the month

  • Trim lavender after flowering, keeping above the old wood.
  • Water containers daily in hot weather.
  • Keep picking and deadheading to prolong flowering.

August Late summer glow

White gaura and purple verbena in front of a period house

Looking good now

  • Gaura: white flowers dancing on wiry stems all summer
  • Rudbeckia: golden daisies with dark centres
  • Hydrangeas: big heads that fade beautifully to vintage shades
  • Pennisetum: soft, bottlebrush grass flowers

Jobs for the month

  • Take cuttings of salvias and penstemons as insurance against winter.
  • Raise the mower blades and let the lawn cope with the heat.
  • Note gaps in borders now, ready for autumn planting.

September Grasses take the stage

Verbena, tall grasses and phormium beside a lawn and path

Looking good now

  • Asters: clouds of lilac and blue, a lifeline for late insects
  • Sedums: flat pink heads that age to rust and stand all winter
  • Japanese anemones: tall white and pink flowers for part shade
  • Miscanthus: silky flower plumes catching the low light

Jobs for the month

  • One of the best months to plant: the soil is still warm.
  • Plant daffodils and other spring bulbs.
  • Sow or repair lawns while it is mild and damp.

October Autumn colour

Looking good now

  • Japanese maples: leaves turning flame red and orange
  • Smoke bush (Cotinus): plum or golden leaves that blaze before they fall
  • Grasses: seed heads in bronze and straw tones
  • Amelanchier: a second show of red and orange leaves

Jobs for the month

  • Start planting tulip bulbs at the end of the month.
  • Leave seed heads and hollow stems for birds and insects.
  • Collect leaves to make leaf mould for next year's mulch.

November Planting season

Looking good now

  • Beautyberry (Callicarpa): startling violet berries on bare stems
  • Mahonia: yellow flower sprays and scent on the darkest days
  • Winter grasses: pale, papery stems that move in the wind
  • Skimmia: red berries or buds on a tidy evergreen

Jobs for the month

  • Bare-root season begins: the best value for hedges, trees and roses.
  • Finish planting tulips.
  • Protect pots of tender plants from frost or move them under cover.

December Berries and bones

Looking good now

  • Holly: glossy leaves and red berries for birds
  • Viburnum bodnantense: pink, sweetly scented flowers on bare branches
  • Dogwoods: coloured winter stems at their brightest
  • Frosted seed heads: grasses and sedums sparkling on cold mornings

Jobs for the month

  • Prune apple and pear trees while they are dormant.
  • Keep planting bare-root hedges and trees when the ground is not frozen.
  • Book a design visit: winter is the ideal time to plan for spring.

Want a garden that looks good every month?

We plan planting so there is always something happening, from winter stems to autumn grasses.

Book a visit