Plant autumn-flowering bulbs now for an injection of late colour that will have your garden performing at its peak right into winter.
Showy autumn flowerers are a great way of pepping up your borders if they're prone to late-summer flagging. Pack containers for a sunny spot on the patio, or fill your borders with the season's last hurrah.
Here are five late-season spectaculars:
Nerine bowdenii: Lipstick pink and long-flowering, the massive drumsticks of nerines are hard to miss. They love to be baked, so give them a well-drained spot in full sun.
Crocus sativus: This is the famous saffron crocus, its orangey-red stigmas harvested for spice for centuries. Its dainty rose-red flowers are a pretty sight in the autumn border.
Colchicum speciosum: also known as naked ladies for their habit of producing flowers before the leaves appear, their crimson-purple goblets are an eye-catching autumn sight.
Sternbergia lutea: their brilliant butter-yellow flowers look just like crocuses and are a jaunty surprise late in the season: they're great in containers and love the sun.
Cyclamen hederifolium: masses of charming, swept-back pink flowers in autumn are just the half of it: the marbled leaves make a beautiful ground cover too.
