Mistake 1: pruning everything at once in autumn
One of the most familiar autumn scenes is the generalised prune: hedges, shrubs and aromatic plants cut back on the same weekend. The result is usually a tidy garden in December and almost no flower in spring. The reason is that many Mediterranean species form their flower buds in autumn or at the end of summer; cutting them back now removes next year's flowering.
Think of lavender or rosemary: a hard prune in October can leave the plant without buds for spring. A light clean-up of spent flowers and damaged branches, by contrast, keeps the shape without compromising the flower. With winter-flowering shrubs, such as prostrate rosemary or sage, it is best to wait until flowering has passed before cutting back seriously.
The practical rule is simple: before pruning, identify whether the plant flowers on last year's wood or on new shoots. If you do not know, limit the intervention to the essentials and observe the following season.
- Note in a small book which shrubs flower in winter and which in spring, so you do not repeat indiscriminate pruning.
- Cut only dry, crossing or out-of-shape branches; avoid shortening the whole plant if you do not know its cycle.
Mistake 2: watering everything alike without checking the soil
In autumn temperatures fall, but the ground can remain warm and rainfall arrives irregularly. A common mistake is to keep the summer watering programme, or at the opposite extreme to cut it off abruptly because it is no longer hot. Neither decision responds to what each plant needs.
The key is to check the soil ten to fifteen centimetres down, not just the surface. In large pots, water can sit at the bottom and cause rot while the top appears dry. In the garden, a clay soil holds moisture longer than a sandy one. Autumn-flowering plants, such as chrysanthemums or salvias, benefit from regular moisture, while aromatic plants and citrus tolerate alternation better.
Staggered watering also helps to stagger flowering: plants that receive water more regularly tend to shoot earlier, while those that go through a slight resting period flower later.
- Push a finger or a stick into the soil before watering; if it comes out damp, wait.
- Group plants by water need instead of watering the whole garden on the same programme.
Mistake 3: buying flowers without checking the exposure
In autumn nurseries display very showy seasonal plants, and it is easy to fill the trolley without thinking about where they will go. The mistake appears weeks later: full-sun plants in a shaded corner that barely flower, or shade species exposed to the afternoon sun that wilt.
Before buying, observe the space over several days and note how many hours of sun it receives in autumn, which differs from what it will receive in summer. In Marbella and Estepona, a west-facing terrace may have a pleasant autumn but a very severe summer. In Sotogrande, windy areas can dry the flowers before they open.
It is also worth checking the compost in the pot: a flowering plant bought in exhausted compost will need repotting soon, and that delays flowering.
- Photograph the space at different times of day over a week before choosing a plant.
- Check the state of the roots and the compost when you take the plant out of its pot at the nursery.
Mistake 4: ignoring bulbs and staggered sowings
Staggering flowering is not achieved with shrubs alone. Early-flowering bulbs and sowings of annuals allow colour to be concentrated at specific moments. The usual mistake is to plant them all on the same day and expect them to flower together, or not to plant them because 'it is already too late'. On the coast, staggered bulb planting between October and December spreads flowering across late winter and spring.
Another failure is to bury bulbs at the same depth regardless of size. As a general guide, plant at a depth equivalent to two or three times the height of the bulb. In pots, drainage is critical: waterlogged compost rots bulbs before they sprout.
Sowings of annuals and aromatic plants can also be staggered in autumn; sowing in batches a few weeks apart prevents all the flower being concentrated into a single period.
- Plant bulbs in two or three batches two or three weeks apart, according to the result you want.
- Use well-drained compost and water sparingly until shoots appear.
Mistake 5: not observing last year's actual flowering
Many owners decide on autumn plants without reviewing what worked the previous season. If a shrub barely flowered, it may not be for lack of water but because of too much shade, late pruning or compacted soil. Without that observation, the same purchases and the same failures are repeated.
A useful practice is to note on a simple calendar the weeks in which each plant was in flower and those that stayed empty. That information is worth more than any catalogue. In a garden in Estepona, for example, spring-flowering plants may be spectacular while autumn is left deserted; knowing this allows autumn-flowering species to be introduced into the gaps.
Observation also includes soil and water: where moisture accumulates, where it dries first, which areas are irrigated by sprinkler and which by drip.
- Spend an afternoon walking the garden and noting what is in flower and what is empty.
- Correct the soil before adding new plants: aerating and adding organic matter improves flowering more than buying another species.
Mistake 6: neglecting continuity between seasons
Staggering flowering is not only about choosing plants for each month, but ensuring there are transitions. A common mistake is to create a garden of 'peaks': an explosion of flower in spring and another in autumn, with empty months in between. The solution lies in combining winter-flowering shrubs, early bulbs, long-flowering aromatic plants and short-cycle annuals.
In the Mediterranean climate, the key is succession: first the early bulbs, then spring-flowering shrubs, then the aromatic plants and finally the autumn-flowering species that close the cycle. Well-planned garden and swimming pool maintenance in Marbella includes this flowering calendar as part of the design, not as an afterthought.
It is also worth accepting that some plants rest: a garden with continuous flowering does not mean every species in flower at once, but that something is always in flower while others rest.
- Combine at least three groups: bulbs, shrubs and annuals or aromatic plants, to cover the gaps.
- Accept rest periods: not all plants should flower at the same time.
Mistake 7: neglecting after-flowering care
A silent mistake occurs after flowering: not removing spent flowers or checking the state of the plant. In many species, allowing the flower to turn to seed halts the production of new flowers. In others, dried flowers accumulate moisture and encourage fungi in autumn.
Timely cleaning, however, should not become aggressive pruning. Removing spent flowers and dry leaves is enough for most shrubs and aromatic plants. On roses, check ventilation and remove faded flowers without cutting back the whole plant.
A common mistake in gardening in Sotogrande is to let pruning debris accumulate on the ground: besides looking untidy, it can encourage pests and diseases. Collecting it and composting properly closes the cycle.
- Remove spent flowers regularly to stimulate new flowering.
- Do not leave pruning debris piled on the soil: collect it and compost it.