What to plant in autumn to brighten your community

The experts at Eden share their tips

Choosing what to plant

You don’t need to have access to large green areas to inject some nature into your community. Depending on the shape or size of your space, we’ve put together our top planting suggestions.

I have a patio, alleyway, doorstep or window

Consider planting pots or window boxes. You can layer them with bulbs and other foliage to provide a variety of colour and textures throughout the year (see our autumn suggestions below!). Get creative with your planters – think about using old wellies, teapots or discarded sinks, or use brightly coloured paint to spruce up old plant pots. Old pallets can be nailed to fences to provide basic shelving. Once they’re planted up, they don’t need very much aftercare other than a bit of weeding and watering. Plant flowers in your street.

I have a patch of ground

You could sow wildflowers to create a mini wildflower meadow. It’ll burst with colour and be brilliant for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. How to sow wildflowers.

I have a raised bed

Why not grow some veg or herbs for your community to share? You can use old barrels or wheelbarrows as planters too – they work really well for veg such as potatoes, or crops of leaves like lettuce or spinach. Check out our advice on growing your own for The Big Lunch.

I have access to a bigger area of community green space

You could do a mix of the above, or consider planting trees or a hedge as well! They’re brilliant for wildlife, important for air quality and carbon capture and can provide abundant fruit and berries – what’s not to love?!

Autumn is a time to tidy up

Once the majority of plants have flowered and vegetables have been harvested, autumn and winter are a good time to tidy up any green spaces and prepare for next year. It’s also an important time of year to support wildlife as their food sources are much less abundant over the winter months.

• If you’ve got trees that shed their leaves near you, why not create some leaf piles? Hedgehogs, frogs and other wildlife like to nestle up amongst dead leaves and twigs. You could create a little sign illustrating that wildlife might be sleeping there and ask people not to disturb them.
• Don’t be too hasty to cut back everything – insects can spend the winter curled up inside hollow stems. If it’s not in anyone’s way, there’s no harm in leaving some things as they are.
• Sometimes what’s good for wildlife can look messy for humans and are causes of angst in communities. Why not start a litter pick to shift the focus onto man-made rubbish and spruce up your local area? You may be surprised by how many people join if you’ve got a spare litter picker and high-vis, and it’s a great way to start open conversations about what you want your neighbourhood to look like.