Thinking about your garden this autumn? Start with what summer taught you

By the end of summer, you usually know your garden pretty well.
You know where everyone naturally sits, which areas get too hot, whether the patio feels big enough once the furniture and barbecue are out, and which parts of the garden barely get used.
That makes early autumn a really useful time to think about what you might want to change.
It doesn’t have to mean starting again from scratch. Sometimes it’s just about making the space work better for the way you actually use it.
Maybe you need more shade, a bigger seating area, better access, more privacy or planting that’s better suited to the conditions.

A few things worth asking yourself:

• Where did you spend most time?
• Which areas hardly got used?
• Was there enough space when people came over?
• Did you have enough shade or shelter?
• Which plants coped well?
• What frustrated you most?

That last one is often a good place to start.

This summer has been hard on gardens

Hot, dry weather quickly shows up the weaker areas in a garden.

Lawns struggle, some planting needs constant watering and sunny areas can become too hot to enjoy for parts of the day.

It’s why good garden design is about more than choosing things that look nice.
Where the sun falls, what the soil is like, how water moves through the garden and which plants suit the site all make a difference.

We’re also thinking more about how gardens cope with hotter, drier summers. That might mean more shade, better soil, tougher planting or a more considered approach to watering.

Could irrigation help during a hosepipe ban?

With hosepipe restrictions affecting parts of Buckinghamshire and the surrounding area, water use has become a much bigger consideration this summer.

A well-designed drip irrigation system can help by delivering water slowly and directly to the soil, rather than spraying it across the whole garden.

That means less waste and more water reaching the plants that actually need it.

Some water companies allow certain drip or trickle irrigation systems during hosepipe restrictions, although the rules vary, so it’s always worth checking with your supplier.

For us, irrigation isn’t just about getting through a dry spell. When it’s considered as part of the design from the start, it can help new planting establish properly and make the garden easier to look after long term.

Autumn is a great time to plant

The ground is still warm, temperatures are cooler and there’s usually more moisture around.

That gives new planting time to establish before the following summer, rather than being planted just as the hottest weather arrives.

After the dry spells we’ve had over the last few years, that can make a real difference.

Think beyond summer

A good garden shouldn’t only work in June and July.

Once summer planting starts to fade, you notice the structure of the garden much more.

Trees, hedging, grasses, evergreen planting, walls, paths and lighting can all help a garden still feel considered through autumn and winter.

It doesn’t need to be full of colour all year round. It just needs enough structure to keep the garden interesting.

Working with local conditions

Clay soil is something we come across regularly around Buckinghamshire and the Chilterns.

It can be wet and sticky in winter, then hard and dry in summer, so planting and drainage need to be thought about properly from the start.

The same goes for sloped gardens, changing levels and drainage.

None of these things are necessarily a problem. They simply need the right approach.

Choosing plants that suit the conditions, improving the soil where needed and working with the site rather than against it can make a huge difference.

Is autumn too late to start a landscaping project?

Not at all.

If you’re hoping for a new garden next spring or summer, autumn is actually a very sensible time to start planning.

A garden project begins long before the team arrives on site. There are ideas to work through, designs to develop, materials to choose and practical details to sort out.

Working with one team from garden design through to build can make the whole process much more straightforward, with everyone working towards the same end result from the start.

Starting earlier gives you time to make those decisions properly.

Autumn and winter can also be a good time for the build itself. There may be a bit of mud along the way, but getting the main work done through the cooler months can mean the garden is ready to enjoy when the warmer weather returns.

Five things to think about this autumn

If you’re considering changing your garden, start with these:

What worked well this summer?
Not everything needs changing. Keep the things you already love.

What frustrated you?
Maybe the seating was too far from the house, you were always chasing shade or there simply wasn’t enough room when people came over.

How do you actually use the garden?
A family garden for entertaining needs something very different from a quiet space built around planting and relaxation.

How much maintenance do you want?
There’s no right answer. The garden just needs to suit the amount of time you want to spend looking after it.

What would make you use it more next summer?
Sometimes that answer tells you everything you need to know.

Start with how you want the garden to feel

Before getting too caught up in paving, planting or individual features, think about how you want the garden to feel.

Maybe you want somewhere calm at the end of the day. Somewhere the family can gather. More privacy. More planting. Better lighting. Or simply a garden that feels more connected to the house.

Once that’s clear, the rest becomes much easier.

At J&S Scapes, we design and build gardens across Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and the surrounding areas.

If this summer has made you look at your garden a little differently, autumn is a good time to start planning what comes next.

Next summer starts now. Get in touch with the J&S Scapes team when you’re ready to start planning.