Muddy Stilettos

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-39.png" alt="Chelsea show garden designer Jamie Butterworth" class="wp-image-117453" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-39.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-39-600x600.png 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-39-300x300.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-39-500x500.png 500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Plantsman, broadcaster and author Jamie Butterworth. Image credit: Oliver Dixon.</figcaption></figure>



Meet Jamie Butterworth — plantsman, broadcaster, garden author, and one of the youngest commercial nursery owners in the country. Jamie has a reputation for turning clever planting into show-stopping displays (he even teamed up with Monty Don on this year’s Chelsea dog-friendly show garden). With his new book What Grows Together just out, he’s sharing his best autumn garden ideas and practical gardening tips for September — from plugging border gaps to sowing poppies now for a head start on next spring’s colour.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-give-borders-an-autumn-boost">Give borders an autumn boost</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T142942.122-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117413" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T142942.122-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T142942.122-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T142942.122.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Great burnet (also known as Sanguisorba) looks great in autumn</figcaption></figure>



September is the perfect month to plug those gaps in your borders. And the beauty of this time of year is you can plant almost anything, from bulbs and perennials to shrubs and trees.



One of my go-tos? Sanguisorbas. These easy-going perennials practically look after themselves and bring a light, airy feel to a border. Their stems sway in the breeze, letting you glimpse other plants beyond, and they’re wonderfully versatile. For a pop of colour, try Sanguisorba ‘Tanna’, with its little red pom-pom heads that bob like punctuation marks in the wind. Or go full drama with the fluffy pink blooms of Lilac Squirrel or the cascading tassels of Canadensis.



The best part is, it&#8217;s not too late to get them in the ground. They might reward you with a little late-season flourish now, and by next year they’ll be strutting their stuff in full force.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-ease-into-a-wilder-lawn">Ease into a wilder lawn</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T152634.921-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117445" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T152634.921-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T152634.921-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T152634.921.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jamie Butterworth with Monty Don in their 2025 dog-friendly Chelsea Show Garden. Photo credit: Oliver Dixon</figcaption></figure>



Perfectly striped, emerald-green lawns might have their place, but they’re far from essential. I prefer a patch of grass where my dogs can have a proper roll around. For an easier life, let the lawn grow into a wildflower meadow — it adds relaxed, lived-in charm, needs less upkeep and gives pollinators a helping hand. Edging the lawn with rustic brick paving (as we did for my <a href="https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show/news/2025/rhs-radio-2-dog-garden">Chelsea garden created with Monty Don this year</a>) is another quick win, sparing you the mind-numbing chore of trimming the edges.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-drop-in-a-shrub-for-instant-impact">Drop in a shrub for instant impact </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143322.803-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117415" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143322.803-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143322.803-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143322.803.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Mexican fleabane is great to pair with Yew balls. Photo credit: Vikki Rimmer</figcaption></figure>



Yew balls (Taxus baccata) are garden gold — smart, sculptural and endlessly versatile. I love pairing them with the dainty daisies of Mexican fleabane (Erigeron karvinskianus) and the graceful golden blades of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra). It’s a timeless trio that will happily thrive together almost anywhere: in a pot, in the ground, on a balcony, or across sprawling borders.



If you’re after extra drama, copper beech balls bring rich depth to a planting scheme. Splash out and buy them ready-shaped, or, if you’re watching the budget, pick up a purple beech hedge and clip it into a ball yourself.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-pot-now-wow-later">Pot now, wow later </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143702.550-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117416" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143702.550-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143702.550-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143702.550.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Choose and buy your spring tulips now as the best will be sold out in a few weeks. Photo credit: Vikki Rimmer</figcaption></figure>



One of the biggest mistakes people make with pots is trying to cram too many different plants into one. For a elegant display, keep it simple with one type of plant per pot.



I love grouping three or five pots together for impact. For example, a generous pot of frothy Erigeron, a statement container for clipped yew and another for the golden sweep of Hakonechloa. Cluster them and suddenly you’ve got a picture-perfect display that feels pulled together, without trying too hard.



The same goes for bulbs, my one golden rule is simplicity. Fill a pot with nothing but Tulipa Queen of the Night, or Tulipa Spring Green, and let their colours sing. Then add another pot brimming with Fritillaria persica &#8216;Ivory Bells&#8216;. Understated, elegant and guaranteed to turn heads.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-sow-seeds-for-stunning-spring-colour">Sow seeds for stunning spring colour</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143829.904-1000x667.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117417" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143829.904-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143829.904-600x400.jpg 600w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T143829.904.jpg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sow poppies now for sexy, sultry blooms next year. Photo credit: Oliver Dixon</figcaption></figure>



Believe it or not, September is prime time for sowing annuals (plants that live for one year) if you want a head start for a spectacular show next year. One of my absolute favourites for autumn sowing is the poppy Papaver ‘Lauren’s Grape’. It thrives in the higher light levels this month, germinates far better than in spring, and rewards you with flowers weeks ahead of schedule.



In our Chelsea show garden, we had hundreds of them in full, velvety bloom — dark, sultry petals bouncing through the borders like little pieces of theatre. Everyone wanted to know our secret for such an early display. The answer? Simply sowing this month.



Here’s how: fill pots or trays with peat-free seed compost, firm it gently, and cover the seeds with a light sprinkle of vermiculite. Once the seedlings have their first true leaves, prick them out into larger pots. Overwinter somewhere sheltered — an unheated greenhouse or even a bright windowsill will do the trick — and you’ll be the one with a show-stopping garden next spring.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="739" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T145902.145-739x1000.jpg" alt="Hydrangea, foxglove and Gillenia trifoliiata" class="wp-image-117418" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T145902.145-739x1000.jpg 739w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T145902.145-443x600.jpg 443w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Untitled-design-2025-08-14T145902.145.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 739px) 100vw, 739px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Head to our insta for your chance to win a pink hydrangea, floxglove and Gillenia trifoliata. Image credit  Dorling Kindersley: Rachel Warne</figcaption></figure>



If you&#8217;d like to level up your own Chelsea-style garden, keep your eyes out for our Insta comp to win a selection of three plants selected by Jamie, plus a copy of his new book. 



Jamie Butterworth is a plant expert, author and one of the youngest plant nursery owners. <a href="https://geni.us/WhatGrowsTogether">What Grows Together</a> is published by DK, out 11 Sept 2025



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="845" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photo-12-08-2025-06-12-44-845x1000.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-117419" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photo-12-08-2025-06-12-44-845x1000.jpg 845w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photo-12-08-2025-06-12-44-507x600.jpg 507w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photo-12-08-2025-06-12-44.jpg 1000w" sizes="(max-width: 845px) 100vw, 845px" /></figure>

Autumn gardening hacks: 5 insider tricks to perk up your borders now

You may also like