Autumn plant care for luxury retirement homes in Essex
Autumn is well and truly upon us and with it, comes an abundance of seasonal activities that we can enjoy! From pumpkin-spiced baking, to hand made arts and craft, there’s certainly much you can try your hand to as the leaves begin to change.
For those in luxury retirement homes in Essex, plant care and gardening are an extremely popular past-time all year round. If like Burnham Waters, your community has allotments, you can still make the most of them during the change in season. From easy-care plants to perennial re-blooming flowers, your possibilities are plentiful! In this week’s blog, we offer our top tips on caring for plants in Autumn.
A nurturing recipe
For those who are avid gardeners, you’ll know that there are a few essential ‘ingredients’ that go into a successful plant care. In Autumn, there are a couple of fundamentals to consider:
Natural light
Typically, you only actually need a small patch to allow a garden to flourish, however, you must consider the amount of natural sunlight the space receives and its average temperature. Naturally, some plants don’t fare well in cooler temperatures. If you know you’d like to keep gardening throughout Autumn, it’s worth planting perennials next Spring for ease. Your plants will last longer, and you won’t have to worry about them throughout the winter.
Water
With Autumnal plants, less is often more. With sunlight reducing now, plants won’t grow as quickly. This means you’ll need to reduce your watering sessions. Over-watering your garden will only set back your efforts and will most likely result in you having you restart your hard work. It’s actually better to water your plants less frequently but more thoroughly.
Always check to see if the soil is dry by sticking your finger into it and feeling for moisture. If it’s bone dry, 1-2 inches down, you need to water. It’s important to remember that each plant will have different needs though. Why not make a weekly plant care chart to refer to, to help keep your watering on track?
Soil quality
Additionally, the quality of your plants and the taste of your herbs and vegetables (if you’re growing edible produce), are significantly impacted by the quality and care of the soil. Make sure that you’re using the best soil for growth during Autumn. In luxury retirement homes in Essex, many have allotments, you can always check to see if the groundskeeper suggests a preferred soil.
Tending
If you see any decaying parts on your plants, where possible, simply snip them off. You don’t want to risk root rot killing your plant slowly! If you have indoor plants, wipe them clean with a damp cloth once a week. Dust and cobwebs can build up quickly around this time of year and will ultimately restrict the amount of natural light the plant can absorb to create energy.
Plants that thrive during autumn
Contrary to what you may have been told, some plants thrive throughout Autumn, right through to the first hard frost! Some of the most popular are:
- Anemone
- Aster
- Cyclamen
- Liriope
- Pennisetum
Additionally, growing vegetables are a great choice, especially if you have an allotment. You can try nurturing these throughout the late summer and into Autumn:
- Chard
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Kale
- Carrots
It’s important to mention that plants are not just aesthetically pleasing either. They have a profound effective on our mental health. It’s widely known that being in the presence of plants and greenery is good for us! Besides enhancing our surroundings, they improve the air quality around us, therefore uplifting our mood. They’re often beautiful and vibrant and by touching, smelling and caring for plants inside or outside, you will reduce stress and anxiety. A little gardening is not only great for your routine, but will further upgrade your living space within luxury retirement communities by bringing nature to you.
Repeat flowering
Plants that repeatedly flower automatically are a great idea as Autumn approaches. They’re called perennial flowers and providing the bulb or roots are well taken care of, they will re-flower each year. Perennial flowers bloom all the way through to winter, lay dormant and then re-bloom as spring arrives. They’re handy to have in your green glossary because you don’t have to think too much about re-planting everything when the time comes! You can have confidence that they’re durable and easy to care for no matter where you grow them.
Some of our favourite perennials include:
- Peonies
- Daylilies
- Coneflowers
- Hollyhocks
An indoor garden
If you don’t have an allotment, or garden space, you can easily grow flowers, herbs and even fruit and vegetables indoors! So long as your plants have plenty of natural sunlight, you keep the temperature regulated and water accordingly, you’re onto a winner!
Simple tomatoes, salad and cooking herbs are ideal to grow indoors around any time of the year! There’s something very rewarding about eating what you’ve grown, not to mention the positive impact on your carbon footprint.
Get in touch
If you are looking for luxury retirement homes in Essex, have you considered Burnham Waters? At Burnham Waters, our luxury retirement homes will feature spacious allotments, perfect for creating an autumnal garden for those with green fingers! With calm and tranquillity at the heart of our community, our new build retirement bungalows will be set within a peaceful countryside haven, ideal for enjoying the simple outdoors, with wide-open spaces, walking paths and nature all easily accessible outside each front door.
If you’re looking for local produce, we will also be providing a regular mini-bus services into the quaint town of Burnham on Crouch, so residents can easily get out and about and enjoy all the local area has to offer.
If you’re interested in reserving a property, or have a few questions about our allotments and facilities, we would love to hear from you! There are plenty of ways you can get in touch and find out more about us:
- Head over to our FAQs page.
- Fill out our contact form for a downloadable brochure.
- Complete our enquiry form for a little more information.
- Call our sales team on 01621 861559.
- Email us info@burnhamwaters.co.uk.
Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom of our home page and sign up to our newsletter for all the latest news on our community for the 55 and overs. We look forward to hearing from you!
