Christinas wildflower seeds & garden plants

08/10/2026

Now plants are starting to die and leaving behind brown stems, don't cut them back. Leave them in place so insects can over winter inside the stems.

07/10/2026

The weather has finally turned and become a lot cooler as we sit under thick grey cloud, I've got everything crossed we will finally get some rain.

I'm not sure how long these Dwarf Sunflowers will last in cooler weather. They appeared late in the year after I cleared a border of salvia. I can't remember if I put them there, or a squirrel did the job for me.

Although we still had white butterflies in the garden yesterday, today it is noticable quiter and little movement other than birds.

What plants are still glowing in your garden?

06/10/2026

What's Happening in our Suffolk Garden: October 2026 🍂 🐦 🦔

Unseasonably warm weather lasted right up to 6th October here in Suffolk, but as the cooler autumn air rolls in, the garden is full of vibrant activity!

We put our bird feeders back out at the start of the month, and within two days, Blue T**s, Goldfinches, Great T**s, Coal T**s, and Dunnocks were out in force. Meanwhile, local deer have been visiting the front garden early in the morning to strip the ripe red berries from our Rowan and Pyracantha trees.

Here are a few simple tasks you can do in your own garden this week to help local wildlife prepare for winter:

🍂 Leave the Leaf Litter: Don't clear fallen leaves from flower borders! They act as a natural mulch, shelter overwintering moth pupae, and give Blackbirds a rich hunting ground for insects.

🌸 Plant Spring Bulbs Now: October is the ideal time to plant Daffodils and Snowdrops. Planting them now ensures an early nectar source for emerging queen bumblebees come spring.

✂️ Embrace "Chop and Drop" Mulching: Prune stems blocking window light and chop them directly onto exposed soil. Nature mulches itself, and returning organic matter to your borders protects roots from winter frost.

🎨 New Wildlife Gifts Available!

Spending time watching our garden visitors has inspired a range of new hand-illustrated bookmarks and fine art prints, perfect gifts for nature lovers:

👉 https://www.christinas.co.uk/shop/gifts

Are you leaving dead stems and leaf litter in your borders this autumn, or putting out winter bird feeders? Let us know in the comments below! 👇

01/10/2026

Currently harvesting seeds, and enjoying watching the garden develop. With all the beautiful flowers and bugs I have no regrets removing the Cherry Laurels.

It's also been a joy chatting to neighours about the garden and sharing seeds with them.

28/09/2026

We are three days away from October, and it's still sunny, hot and humid. A lot of flowers that appear in spring are starting to flower now, and I still have small sunflowers just opening, buddleia still putting on new growth and flowers.

The squirrels have made off with all my apples, we still have butterflies, moths (hummingbird hawk moth), dragonflies, bees and wasps. With lots of other insects that are bringing the bats in.

You can buy dwarf sunflowers from my online shop. It's the perfect time to start sowing direct to soil: https://www.christinas.co.uk/shop/wild-flower-seeds/sunflower-dwarf

Does your garden still feel like summer isn't ending anytime soon?

26/09/2026

21/09/2026

We really do get some interesting wasps in the garden.

17/09/2026

Found a medium sized moth in the garden this morning

14/09/2026

What's Happening in our Suffolk Garden: September 2026 🌿🦔

After months of baking sun and hosepipe bans, late August finally brought a full day of rain. The garden instantly bounced back; there really is nothing quite like rainwater to revive thirsty borders!

We are shifting our strategy this year: Autumn is officially the new Spring for sowing seeds and getting new plants in. Getting wildflower seeds into the ground now lets them settle into cool, damp soil and build deep root systems over winter. It's the same for new plants, and when the hot weather returns, they’ll be established enough to not need watering.

Here is what's happening around our garden borders this month:

🌸 Garden Stars: Buddleia, Mexican Fleabane (Erigeron), Cosmos, Gaura, Penstemons, and Coneflowers are still flowering strong. The Blanket flowers and Blue Flax are dropping fresh seeds, which we're leaving to self-seed naturally for next year.

🦌 Wildlife Visitors: Our pyracantha bushes are laden with ripe red and orange berries, drawing early-morning visits from local deer, while woodpigeons strip the upper branches. Down by the small pond, dragonflies use perches to hunt mid-air, a surprisingly large hedgehog makes its nightly rounds, and a resident Wren hunts through the foliage. I was also please to spot a Chiff-Chaff.

🪴 Lesson of the Season: Dense planting works! Packing plants tightly together creates natural shade over sandy soil, locking in moisture and leaving no room for weeds. Removing invasive Cherry Laurels has also completely restored life to our boundary borders.

Sow Now for Next Spring 🐝

If your garden faces hot summers, dry borders, or sandy soil, Autumn sowing is the secret to a resilient wildflower display:

🌾 Drought-Tolerant Wildflower Seed Mix

Designed to thrive in dry conditions with minimal intervention once established.

👉 https://www.christinas.co.uk/shop/wild-flower-seeds/drought-tolerant-flower-seeds

🌼 American Prairie Wildflower Seed Mix

Deep-rooted classics like Blue Flax and Coneflowers that handle heat without flinching.

👉 https://www.christinas.co.uk/shop/wild-flower-seeds/american-prairie-wildflower-seed-mix

🦋 Bee & Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix

Keep your borders buzzing with nectar-rich blooms that support native pollinators.

👉 https://www.christinas.co.uk/shop/wild-flower-seeds/bee-and-butterfly-wildflower-seed-mix

Are you sowing any wildflower seeds this Autumn, or holding out until Spring? Let me know in the comments below! 👇

Proven in Suffolk's Garden! Nectar-rich mix expertly selected to attract Bees, Butterflies, and 12+ beneficial insects. Guaranteed long season. Shop from £2.99.

07/09/2026

With a bit of much needed rain, the garden is coming back to life. We still have butterflies, hummingbird hawk moths, hoverflies and so much more...