Garden experts pick the best plants to plant this autumn

Looking for inspiration of what to plant this autumn? We asked top gardening gurus to give their selection of the best plants for different locations and conditions

Fabulous ferns

With their earthy magic and eye-catching fronds, ferns are a firm favourite for many gardeners. This ancient group of plants have survived climate change, dinosaurs and a plant craze in Victorian times that nearly drove them to extinction, but they remain indispensable in our gardens.

Chosen by experts: Bridget Cottam, Manoj Malde, Aimee-Beth Browning and Martin Rickard

Reliable bulbs year on year

Pouring through autumn bulb catalogues is a rare pleasure, seeking out those treasures to fill your garden, but some will last more than one season, making them a long-term investment that saves you money and will keep on growing.

Chosen by experts: Tom Eaglestone, Andrea Jones, Matt Bishop and Camilla Bassett-Smith

Roses on repeat

The nations favourite flower, our experts picked out the best rose varieties for repeat flowering, so you can enjoy their beauty again, and again. Planting bare root roses in autumn and winter is cost effective and the plants use the colder months to develop a healthy root sytstem while they are dormant, ready to burst into bloom the following year.

Chosen by experts: Dean Peckett, Victoria Martin, Henry White and Jenny Barnes

Gentle self-seeders

Every garden needs a dainty gap-filler, and these plants, picked by experts, are the best to try in your gardens for a little bit of delicous froth. Take the laissez-faire approach, allowing them to add unexpected pleasure to sometimes tricky spaces.

Chosen by experts: Charlie Harpur, Derry Watkins, Andrea Brunsendorf and Sue Mabberley

Pond plants

Fill your garden with wildlife by adding a pond and filling it with beneficial aquatic plants. Four experts suggested plants that look good at the same time as encouraging nature.

Chosen by experts: Errol Reuben Fernandes, Kate Bradbury, Linda Smith and Jack Wallington

This page is an adaptation of articles published in 2024 editions of The Garden magazine, free to RHS members every month when you join the RHS.

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