Garden News – 15 September 2026

Summary

"Add Zing With ZINNIAS!" leads Garden News 15 September 2026, with Zinnia 'Queen Lime Red' on the cover and a polarizing debate on who should succeed Monty Don on Gardeners' World. The issue, priced £3.25, runs 57 pages of seasonal tasks, zinnia trial results, and a 4-page small-space edibles feature. Carol Klein celebrates the magic of cosmos at Glebe Cottage while the kitchen garden section covers winter preparation.

The "Who Succeeds Monty?" feature (page 6) reports on the BBC's succession planning after Monty Don's announced departure from Gardeners' World. Frances Tophill, Nick Bailey, and Adam Frost are ranked as the top 3 candidates based on book sales, TV appearances, and gardening qualifications. The zinnia feature (page 18) trials 8 new varieties including 'Queen Lime Red', 'Zowie! Yellow Flame', and 'Benary's Giant Wine'. The drought-tolerant plant guide from Naomi Slade lists 8 perennials tested in 40°C summer conditions. Rob Smith plans the winter kitchen garden with a sowing calendar for October through December.

The Experts section features Tamsin Westhorpe on late-summer blooms and Stefan Buczacki answering questions on bringing orchids back into flower and using rainwater on rhododendrons. Offers include discounts on erysimum and pansies, plus a winter colour package. Garden of the Week visits a Mediterranean-style courtyard in Brighton. Readers' gardens section runs 5 entries with submitted before-and-after transformation photos.

p.6 · Who Succeeds Monty? — BBC Gardeners' World Succession Debate
The article reports on the BBC's succession plan following Monty Don's departure from Gardeners' World. Frances Tophill leads the betting at 2-1, followed by Nick Bailey at 3-1 and Adam Frost at 4-1. The betting odds are sourced from a major bookmaker. Each candidate's TV experience is quantified: Tophill has 8 seasons on BBC gardening shows, Bailey has 6, and Frost has 12. The article notes that the BBC has not made an official announcement. A viewer who wants to influence the decision can email the BBC's commissioning editor at the address listed on page 7.

p.18 · Zinnias — The New Line-Up!
Eight zinnia varieties are trialled for cut-flower performance, mildew resistance, and colour retention. 'Queen Lime Red' scores highest with 45 stems per plant over a 12-week harvest period. 'Zowie! Yellow Flame' produces bicolour flowers that change colour as they age, from yellow at day 1 to deep red at day 10. The chart includes days to maturity, stem length, and vase life measured in days. A cut-flower grower can sow 'Queen Lime Red' indoors in March for a July-to-October harvest.

p.14 · Edibles to Grow in a Small Space
The 4-page feature covers vegetables suitable for containers and small plots. Bush tomatoes, dwarf French beans, and patio cucumbers each have specific pot-size requirements — a 25cm pot for one tomato plant, a 30cm pot for three bean plants. A yield table shows that a single dwarf cucumber plant produces 8-10 fruits in a season. A city balcony gardener can plant one bush tomato in a 25cm pot and harvest 3kg of fruit from July to October.

p.37 · Naomi Slade on Plants That Can Take the Heat
Naomi Slade lists 8 perennials that survived the 2026 summer heatwave without irrigation. The list includes Echinacea purpurea, Achillea millefolium, and Sedum spectabile. Each plant is rated for drought tolerance on a 1-5 scale. Echinacea scores 5, requiring no supplementary water once established. A gardener who lost plants in the July heatwave can replace them with Echinacea purpurea and expect zero watering needs next summer.

p.24 · Carol Klein on the Magic of Cosmos
Carol Klein describes the self-seeding habit of Cosmos atrosanguineus at Glebe Cottage, noting that seedlings appear 3 weeks after the first autumn rain. She recommends leaving spent flower heads on the plant until November for maximum self-seeding. The article includes a list of three cosmos varieties that attract the highest number of pollinators. A gardener who wants free cosmos plants next spring should stop deadheading this weekend and let the seed heads mature.

p.42 · Tamsin Westhorpe on Japanese Anemones
Tamsin Westhorpe profiles Japanese anemones as late-summer bloomers that flower from August through October. She recommends varieties 'Honorine Jobert' and 'September Charm' for their extended bloom period. The ideal planting time is spring in moist, well-drained soil. Anemones spread via underground runners, so a gardener should plant them in a spot where spreading is welcome rather than contained.

p.44 · Stefan Buczacki — Bringing Orchids Back into Flower
Buczacki explains the temperature-drop method for reblooming Phalaenopsis orchids: 4 weeks at 15°C night temperature triggers a new flower spike. He recommends placing the orchid in a cool room away from radiators. The article also covers rainwater use for rhododendrons — tap water with a pH above 7 causes chlorosis. A Phalaenopsis owner who wants a second bloom spike can move the plant to a cooler room tonight and expect a spike within 4 weeks.

p.54 · Offers — Erysimum and Pansies Deals
The offer page lists 12 erysimum plants for £14.99 and a collection of 24 pansy plants for £12.99. Each collection includes free delivery and a 5-year guarantee. Delivery runs from October to November for autumn planting. A gardener looking for winter colour can order the pansy collection for £12.99 and plant them out before the first frost.

Editor's Take

The zinnia trial and the Monty Don succession analysis are the issue's strongest editorial — one delivers data, the other provokes debate. The weakest content is the "New for the Garden" page, which features a plastic greenhouse shelving unit at £34.99 that collapses under 5kg of weight. This issue best suits the mid-season gardener who has survived the summer heatwave and is planning autumn tasks. The zinnia feature deserved the cover space but the inside spread is only 4 pages when the variety list justifies 6. Photography in the readers' gardens section is inconsistent — some submissions are blurred phone photos.

Strengths
• Zinnia variety trial with per-plant stem count and vase-life measurements
• Monty Don succession article with betting odds and TV experience data
• Naomi Slade's drought-tolerant perennials with 1-5 heat-survival ratings

Weaknesses
• New for the Garden page features a shelving unit that fails at 5kg
• Readers' gardens section prints blurred phone images

Verdict: Recommended — The zinnia trial gives a cut-flower grower enough data to choose seed varieties for 2027 planting.