Gardening experts have revealed five autumn plants that thrive on neglect for a low-maintenance seasonal garden filled with colour and texture.
If you’re a bit of a lazy gardener, or simply too busy to spend hours tending delicate plants, a low-maintenance garden idea (that works) is like gold dust. Luckily for you, these plant recommendations are all tough and easy to care for – you can pretty much leave them to do their thing.
If you want a beautiful autumn garden without the stress of cultivating one, here are the five plants that thrive on neglect that gardeners recommend.
First on the list are sedums, a colourful perennial that thrives on neglect. Available in an array of colours, not only do these plants require minimal care, but they are also excellent for attracting bees and butterflies to your garden.
‘If you’re the sort of gardener who occasionally forgets to water or simply doesn’t have hours to spend outside, sedum is a brilliant choice. Its thick, fleshy leaves store water, so it copes surprisingly well during dry spells, and it doesn’t need rich soil or regular feeding to perform well,’ says Luke Newnes, gardening expert for Hillarys.
‘Planting it now gives the roots a chance to settle into still-warm soil before winter, and next year you’ll be rewarded with masses of late-season flowers that pollinators absolutely love.’
If you want flowers from August through autumn, Japanese Anemones are an excellent choice. These long-flowering blooms are ideal for filling in sparse borders and bringing much-needed colour to autumn gardens once established.
‘Japanese anemones quietly get on with the job year after year. Once established, they’ll return reliably every autumn with very little input, gradually forming larger clumps that produce elegant blooms just as many other plants are fading,’ says Charlotte McGrattan, hardy nursery stock buyer at Hillier Garden Centres.
‘They need very little watering once fully established, are generally trouble-free and don’t require regular feeding or pruning, making them perfect for gardeners who prefer a more hands-off approach.’
Who doesn’t love a geranium to brighten a garden, patio or even balcony? Offering vibrant colour and pretty blooms, growing geraniums should be on every low-maintenance gardener’s to-do list.
‘I’d recommend hardy geraniums to almost anyone looking for a low-effort garden. They’re incredibly forgiving, happy in a range of conditions and form dense mounds of foliage that help suppress weeds naturally. Once they’re settled in, they’re largely self-sufficient and don’t need constant watering or feeding. Plant them in autumn, and they’ll spend the cooler months establishing strong roots, which means less work and better growth next spring,’ says Luke.
Heuchera is one of the best ground cover plants for suppressing weeds, as well as adding colour to your garden – so there’s plenty of reasons for planting heuchera, low-maintenance aside.
‘Heucheras are one of the easiest plants to grow, with vibrant foliage that provides colour long after their summer flowers have faded. While spent flower stems can be removed for a tidier appearance, they’re far less demanding than many flowering perennials, typically needing little more than the occasional tidy-up of old leaves,’ says Charlotte.
‘They thrive in partial or dappled shade whilst some cultivars can cope well with full sun. Once fully established, many heucheras continue performing without frequent watering or feeding.’
Bergenia is a shade-loving perennial, making it a great choice for gardens that don’t get a lot of sunshine. It’s also incredibly hardy, making it a pretty much foolproof choice for beginner gardeners.
‘Bergenia is one of the toughest garden plants you can buy and often looks after itself once it’s in the ground. It copes well with shade, can handle periods of drought and keeps its attractive evergreen leaves throughout the year, so there’s always something to look at in the garden,’ says Luke.
‘For busy people who want reliable colour and structure without lots of maintenance, it’s hard to beat. Planting now allows roots to establish before winter, helping it to settle in quickly.’
These gorgeous plants will make brighten your garden with minimal effort from you.
Ninja’s most innovative air fryer is now double the fun with the unveiling of the Ninja CRISPi DualZone 8-in-1 Function Glass Air Fryer (available for £299.99 via Ninja).
The CRISPi has quickly become one of the best Ninja air fryers out there, with its design that shuns non-stick plastics and is simply perfect for stuffing away into a drawer. But one of its major downsides, as I mentioned in my review, is that its capacity makes it suitable for one or two people only.
That’s all changed with this double drawer version, which can cook two foods in two different ways and has an impressive 7.6 litre capacity in total – the same as the brand’s bestselling OG Ninja Dual Zone. Here’s a closer look at this glass version, which I’m sure is about to become a very popular choice for kitchens looking to get rid of plastic.
The functions on offer with this air fryer combine all of Ninja’s best, I think. As well as Air Fry and Max Crisp (which is essentially just a very hot air fry mode), there’s also Dehydrate, which will come in very handy around Christmastime. It’s incredibly handy for dehydrating fruit (including oranges) for decoration as well as cocktail and meal garnishes.
As we get into autumn, another mode that I’d be very excited to try out is Prove. This setting modifies the temperature of the air fryer to foster the perfect conditions for rising your bread – perfect for cosy season and weekends spent baking!
The ability to use the Keep Warm setting will also be good given that this is a dual function air fryer. It means that once one side of your cooking is done, you can use the Keep Warm option on the other side and plate up everything at the same time hot.
The dual functionality is a real game changer for family cooking. The Match Cook button means that you only have to program everything in once and the Smart Finish tech makes everything ready at the same time.
The glass walls on this air fryer make it a very fun addition to a kitchen if you’re cooking anything that rises or melts as you have a front row seat to the whole process. The two containers also have the benefit of being ready to be stored straight away – they come with lids so that you can pop them straight into the fridge once your leftovers have cooled down.
The bottom of each container also has a protective heat-proof layer, which means you can serve from both containers straight onto granite, laminate, solid wood or marble surfaces without risk of damage.
Another benefit of glass air fryer containers is the total ease of cleaning. In my time testing air fryers I found that the CRISPI base fared best when popped into the dishwasher.
The colour range has caught my eye too as I’m always a big fan of appliances that aren’t just a default black colour. Rose Quartz, a pastel pink, and Bone (a steely sort of grey) are also on offer if either of those will suit your existing kitchen colour scheme better. Can you see the appeal in a glass air fryer?
Habitat has unveiled its latest Morris & Co collaboration for autumn and winter, and it might be my favourite to date. For the first time, the Habitat x Morris & Co collection has expanded to include tableware and kitchen textiles – so naturally, I’ve rounded up my top picks.
I would be lying if I said Habitat’s frequent collaborations with Morris & Co weren’t marked on my calendar. Not only is it one of the best William Morris collections to shop right now, but the range is never influenced by home decor trends, either. It serves up timeless designs, all inspired by the works of the iconic Arts and Crafts designer.
This latest batch of tableware and kitchen textiles is heavily inspired by Morris’ experiments with indigo dye, which means a vivid indigo blue features heavily throughout the collection. These are the pieces I’d add to my kitchen.
Habitat has described the collab’s expansion into kitchenware as providing collectable hosting pieces that are designed to be passed down to future generations. And I’d argue that this kitchenware certainly has the designer look of a family heirloom, but at far more affordable prices.
Most noticeably, the Habitat x Morris & Co. Inky 12 Piece Dinner Set costs £60 and includes four place settings, four dinner plates, four side plates and four bowls, which is honestly a brilliant price. It features the Loddon print, which was originally designed in 1883 and first printed using the Indigo Discharge method at Merton Abbey.
The dinner set consists of different shades of blue and white, and the bowls are a block indigo, which balances the set perfectly. It’s a great choice for special occasions and won’t break the bank.
I can’t stop thinking about this cake tin. If you’ve caught the Bake Off bug this month, then isn’t this tin the perfect way to hold your showstoppers.
This dinner set has convinced me I need some ‘good crockery’ for when guests visit. I think its intricate design looks way more expensive that its price tag.
This beautiful jug may be my favourite piece from the collection. I’d keep it on my dining table, filled with cut flowers for an effortless finish.
I love the chunkyness of these mugs – they look the perfect size for a morning cup of tea.
These oh-so-chic napkins are perfect for finishing off your tablescape. They show guests you’ve thought of everything.
These stunning side plates will suit any kitchen. Whether you’re dishing out dessert or having an afternoon snack, these plates will instantly upgrade any dish.
The latest Habitat x Morris & Co collection is simply beautiful, and will still be in style in years to come. If only I had the space for all of it in my home…
