As the curtains close on summer and autumn rears its head this March, gardeners drag out their pitchforks and gloves in preparation for a new planting season.

Autumn is an excellent time of year for planting, even if it might not seem like it. There’s still a warmth in the soil, but rainfall adds much-needed moisture that new plants and flowers need to survive and thrive. Therefore, if you’ve been thinking about renewing your garden or giving it a tidy up, there’s no better time than now. Start with some of the best autumn flowers below.

1. Cosmos

Poor soil can be quite frustrating for any gardener, but it’s not something that can destroy all opportunities for having a bright and beautiful garden come springtime. Cosmos are an excellent autumn flower for properties with poor soil, but with decent drainage and plenty of sunshine.

These beautiful flowers are pink, purple, or white, and are frilly for a point of difference. They are also available in various heights and make for beautiful garden presentation. If you’re partial to gift-giving, then they make for an attractive vase option, as well.

2. Pansies

Gardening is a popular pastime in this country, with just a little over half of the participants in a 2007/2008 survey having dabbled in the year before. However, not everyone is as talented in keeping their plants alive as they would like. If robust but beautiful is the aim of the game, then some of the best autumn flowers to plant in NZ will be pansies.

Pansies are available in a wide variety of colours and don’t ask for much care. You can plant them in pots and hanging baskets, or even garden borders. All you need is well-drained soil or potting mix, some protection from snails, and a bit of liquid fertiliser to promote new growth.

3. Alyssum

Keep your garden as pretty as a picture year-round with alyssum, a dainty flower that’s self-sowing and fragrant. This beautiful flower grows in poor soil, drought, partial shade or full sun, and grows as a cream, red, pink, purple, white, or apricot flower. Plant it with your herbs and vegetables, or add vibrancy to a hanging basket.

4. Sweet peas

Don’t let autumn pass you by without planting sweet peas. They are beautiful to look at in a posy but are even more attractive to have flowering in your own garden. Construct bamboo stakes or a tepee for them to climb and invest in compost-rich soil and liquid fertiliser to keep them healthy. Within as little as three months, you can be looking at a fully-formed sweet pea plant.

5. Forget-me-nots

If you’re looking for a ground cover plant that will ultimately take care of itself, then forget-me-nots could be the answer. While many gardeners consider them a weed, they are an ideal option for those who would prefer to cover the soil with something beautiful. They are self-seeding, fill barren areas under shady trees, and can partner well with spring flowering bulbs.

6. Ornamental kale

Enjoy a vibrant range of colour in your garden with the planting of ornamental kale this autumn. Ornamental kale is available in cream, green, and pink, and can be planted in soil or containers. The closer together you plant ornamental kale, the more suitable the stems will be for picking.

7. Calendula

Calendula is the name for around 20 species of flowers, also known as Marigolds. When in full bloom, they are a lovely shade of red, orange, and yellow, and often add a beautiful vibrancy to a summer garden. Calendula flowers look the part in flower pots or mixed borders and should be planted after the last frost. Full sun and compost-rich soil can have them grow to their full potential.

8. Stock

If you have fertile and well-draining soil, then one of the best autumn flowers to plant at the changing of the seasons is stock. Stock, known as Matthiola incana, is a fragrant flower that blooms in red, white, pink, purple, and cream.

Once you plant stock in autumn or early spring, it will thrive in the cool weather. You can then enjoy their fragrance every time you step outside – particularly on overcast days and once night falls.

9. Cornflower

And, no, we don’t mean cornflour – the ingredient you use in home baking and cooking. We mean cornflower, the lovely blue, white, or pink flowers that grow to be tall or dwarf-sized. They love full sun but are cool-season flowers that thrive when planted in autumn or early spring.

10. Lobelia

If you’re looking for a plant that completes the look in your hanging baskets, then lobelia could be it. Throw on the gardening gloves and get stuck in! Lobelia blooms into a blue, red, pink, white, or purple flower that can grow upright or in a mound. Enjoy colourful edging in your hanging baskets courtesy of this autumn flower.

Get planting

With summer waving goodbye, it’s time to start planning for a brand new planting season. Take advantage of the warm soil and wet weather and get those new autumn seedlings in the ground. If you need a helping hand, there is always a local gardening expert who is only too willing to get stuck in.