The Autumn Shift: Hibernaculums, Snowdrops, and Jane Austen

Gardening with the RHS

Royal Horticultural Society

Home & Garden, Leisure, Hobbies

4.4 • 654 Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

As astronomical autumn settles in, the rhythm of our gardens begins to change — plants, fungi, and wildlife all adapting to cooler days and longer nights. This week, horticulturist Tim Smith shows us how to support our hibernating garden visitors by creating your very own hibernaculum at home. Camilla Bassett-Smith shares her expert tips on planting snowdrops now for a stunning early spring display. And Fiona Davison from the RHS takes us into the archives to uncover the surprising connections between Jane Austen and the Royal Horticultural Society. Host: Jenny Laville Contributors: Tim Smith, Camilla Bassett-Smith, Fiona Davison Links: RHS Garden Rosemoor How to grow snowdrops RHS Digital Collections

Transcript

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0:00.0	Save 30% on RHS membership today.
0:05.0	Enjoy unlimited access to 5 RHS gardens and 230 partner gardens all year round.
0:13.0	Delight in exclusive member only days and reduce rate tickets to RHS flower shows.
0:19.0	Plus expert gardening advice,
0:22.6	monthly editions of the garden magazine and so much more.
0:24.7	Join today from just £56.org at rhs.org.
0:29.3	Hurry, offer, end soon.
0:31.3	Terms and conditions apply. This Monday, mark the first day of astronomical autumn.
0:49.8	The equinox is a fleeting moment of balance, where day and night are felt in near equal measure,
0:55.0	where the nights begin their steady climb, signaling a profound shift in the rhythms of the garden.
1:00.0	As the northern hemisphere tilts from the sun, its light skims lower in the sky, ushering in cooler days and lengthening shadows.
1:08.0	For our gardens, this is a season's turning point. Plants start the quiet work of survival,
1:12.6	drawing precious nutrients from fading leaves
1:15.6	and storing them deep in the roots and stems
1:17.6	to see them through the winter ahead.
1:19.6	Cooler, wetter weather also brings the rise of the fungi.
1:22.6	Mushrooms spring up overnight,
1:24.6	recycling the seasons decay into fertile soil,
1:27.5	reminders of the hidden networks that sustain life.
1:32.0	Wildlife too responds to this shift. Swallows and warblers take their cue to head south,
1:36.7	while geese and red wings arrive from cooler northern climates.
1:40.9	Those who can't migrate prepare for the cold in other ways.
	...

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