Autumn Blues
It's that time of year again.
I have pulled up all the plants that are over and all those begonias I didn't like under the tree, cut back everything that is dead and the shade beds look distinctly bare.
I have some cyclamen to go in that my neighbour gave me but the summer glory has gone.
Still on the plus side now I won't be spending all my time in the garden the house might not look like it's been freshly burgled anymore 
What it all needs is some chunky woodchip bark but I can't afford to get any at the moment.
Any ideas what I could put down that is free?
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You need more plants of the perennial sort - rudbeckias, heleniums, Japanese anemones, physostegia, verbena bonariensis, sedum spectabile, hardy geraniums, Michaelmas daisies...
If you just want to cover bare soil to keep weeds down, cardboard. Get some boxes at the supermarket or beg some from any store whose goods come packed in boxes they just throw away.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Eek Lou - for one split second I thought you were still talking about your house when you mentioned the 'chunky woodchip bark' ...............or were you ?
Hardy geranium macrorhizum for the aromatic foliage which colours to red in winter and flowers in late spring. Geranium phaeum is another good one for shade. Cut back after the flowers in spring to get fresh new foliage with dark purple splodges.
Some varieties of phlox flower in late summer/early autumn and in dappled shade.
Pulmonaria and brunnera are good foliage plants for shade as long as you beef up the soil with some garden compost. They'll flower in spring and then you can cut them back to encourage fresh new foliage for the rest of the season.
There's a variegated, spotty persicaria virginiana that needs shade rather than sun. I like the Painter's Palette best.
Epimediums like shade and have gorgeous foliage plus spring flowers.
Snowdrops for winter and one or two narcissi like shade.
Alchemilla mollis - but cut off the flowers to stop it self seeding with gay abandon.
Quite a few grasses such as carex Ice Dance.
"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
empty!!!!
This is the climax of growth, everything should be overflowing.
In the sticks near Peterborough
No gaps here - these were in the last couple of weeks
and this was last October
Foliage for all year round and bulbs and a few perennials and annuals for extras. North west facing
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Got some good ideas there thanks, the rest of the garden is overflowing but I haven't planted enough in that particular area.
I do feel very very guilty tho' I wish I had left all the dead plants and pernnial geraniums that were over because there were loads of slugs and lovely frogs unfer there that I've had to relocate
They were quite happy under there.
Not another thing will be cut back this year!
Sawdust for the house ladybird, then no more hoovering
Phew.