Gardeners’ World star Frances Tophill has opened up about the busy autumn season and how it may could well be a chance for gardeners to save some hard-earned cash
Matt Davies Trendswatch Reporter
04:00, 20 Sep 2025
Frances Tophill has named five types of plants you should get in the ground now(Image: publicity picture)
A star of Gardeners’ World has revealed five types of plants to get in the ground now to save money on your display next year. In a magazine article aimed at helping gardeners save cash, British horticulturist Frances Tophill discussed the busy autumn season and how it offers an opportunity to make savings.
She explained that people often buy plants and other bits and bobs over the summer at garden centres and shows, but with a bit of planning, the cooler season can be used to “claw back” some money.
Frances wrote in BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine: “Save money by starting off plants now for next year’s display and remember to protect tender plants from winter weather by bringing them indoors.”
She then shared five useful tips to help you save money, covering everything from spring-flowering bulbs to trees, shrubs, and perennial kale. For a particularly striking spring display, there’s one section you should pay close attention to.
Frances said you can use the cooler season to “claw back” some money(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Included in the advice about bulbs (which can reportedly be cheaper than buying mature plants) was a list of five varieties to plant now to fully reap the cost-saving benefits: tulips, alliums, Dutch irises, crocuses, and daffodils.
1. Sweet peas
Frances wrote: “Sow seeds in the warmth now for healthy early flowers next year, and keep them in a non-heated greenhouse.”
2. Spring-flowering bulbs
Frances recommended planting tulips, alliums, Dutch irises, crocuses, and daffodils now to guarantee a “colourful” spring showcase, reminding gardeners to always position bulbs at three times their own depth.
3. Hardy perennials
Regarding perennials, the Gardeners’ World presenter suggested lifting and dividing them to “rejuvenate” overcrowded specimens while providing additional plants.
4. Trees and shrubs
Frances explained: “Propagate these now by inserting hardwood cuttings in a propagation bed outside for the whole winter. Hazel, elder, and willow work really well.”
5. Perennial kale
Lastly, the horticultural expert highlighted that this “tasty” crop can survive between three and five years, with additional plants achievable through cuttings grown in soil or compost-filled containers.
Frances shared five handy tips to help you save cash(Image: BBC)
Another cost-saving measure is to save your summer bulbs. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises digging up summer-flowering bulbs before they die back and storing them in a cool, reasonably dry place over winter.
These bulbs can then be replanted the following spring—a method suitable for varieties including begonia, dahlias, freesia, gladiolus, acidanthera, babiana, and ornithogalum.
Similarly, cost-savvy gardeners can also gather seeds from plants before adverse weather causes rot. The RHS notes that seeds mature approximately two months after flowering, making summer-blooming varieties particularly productive.
Among them are sunflowers, helenium, rudbeckia, salvia and a number of others. You can also harvest seeds from climbers and shrubs such as Leycesteria formosa, brooms, and Abutilon vitifolium.
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