There’s something deeply satisfying about the garden in the colder months. Yes, it’s quieter. Yes, it’s chillier. But it’s also brimming with potential — a blank canvas with the promise of spring hidden just beneath the surface.

For me, the garden isn’t just an extension of the home — it is the home. A retreat. A test lab. A slightly muddy, totally joyful space where I can play, plan, and (let’s be honest) pull out more weeds than I’d like to admit.

Embrace the Imperfections

Autumn is when I start reflecting. What worked? What didn’t? What exploded with colour — and what completely flopped? I dig up, move around, rethink those overambitious combos that looked great in my head but not in the soil. And I do this with the kind of planning I never allow myself in my work — scribbles on the back of an envelope, vague diagrams, dreams of “what ifs.”

Because at home, I’m not creating a polished space for a client. I’m experimenting. I’m being greedy with plants — I want one of everything! Especially the weird, the novel, the wild ones you don’t see every day. And vegetables! I want delicious, year-round crops bursting from every corner of the garden.

Make New Beds. Always Make Room.

If there’s one rule I live by: there’s always room for more beds. Whether it’s for new perennials, shrubs you’ve never tried before, or a vegetable you spotted in a seed catalogue and just had to grow — now is the time to prepare.

New beds mean new opportunities. They keep me curious. They make me a better designer. The combinations that survive a shady patch or thrive in an exposed corner become inspiration for client gardens down the line.

Connect With Your Garden — and Yourself

So, what do you want from your garden? This is a question I ask every client, and it’s one worth asking yourself too.

Do you want a space to gather — an outdoor kitchen and dining area that extends your living space even in winter? Or is your garden more of a personal sanctuary, full of collected objects and pockets of quiet creativity?

Whatever your vision, let it come from a place of passion. Your garden should reflect your life, your climate, your curiosity. In this climate-turbulent world, it’s more important than ever to work with nature, to understand what thrives where we live, and to grow with purpose.

Autumn & Winter Gardening Tips:

• Lift and shift – Move plants around that aren’t quite happy where they are. Cooler weather makes it less stressful for them.
• Weed and feed – Clear out the thugs and prep your soil for spring.
• Mulch like you mean it – Protect roots, suppress weeds, and add organic matter.
• Sow winter crops – Think garlic, broad beans, spinach, kale.
• Plant bare-root – Trees, roses, hedging — now’s the time!
• Get planning – Even scribbly, muddy, back-of-the-envelope plans are better than none.

Your garden doesn’t go to sleep in autumn. It just changes gear. And if you lean into that rhythm — lifting, digging, planning, dreaming — it’ll reward you tenfold when the days get longer again.

So, get out there. Embrace the mud. Welcome the weird plants. And make space for what brings you joy.

Lucie Giselle Ponsford
Creative Director & Founder/ Head Garden Designer.
Landline: 01844 396 881
Mob: 07737286784
Offices: Sanderum Centre, 38, Oakley Road, Chinnor, OX39 4TW
http://www.mimosagardendesign.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lucie.ponsford/