In Your Garden

SEPTEMBER

Deadhead and deadhead again!! Keeps your plants in flower for as long as possible.

Refresh containers: Add cyclamen, violas, heathers or heucheras for autumn colour.

Sow hardy annuals; cerinthe, cornflowers and ammi for early summer blooms and add late-flowering perennials: sedums. asters, and rudbeckias to support pollinators.

Plant Spring-flowering bedding:- pansies, forget-me-nots and wallflowers go in now.

Sow wildflowers. Seeds sown in autumn will start to flower next May, and continue for many weeks.

Re-seed bare lawn patches whist the soil is warm and the rain has moistened the ground. Reuse horticultural fleece or netting to protect the seeds from birds.

Move self-seeded biennials, such as Foxgloves and Columbine, to places where you can better enjoy the flowers next year.

This is the perfect time to plant Daffodil, Crocus, Iris and other bulbs in open ground and in containers for a beautiful display next spring. How to get the ‘wow factor’ …… plant your bulbs in three layers for maximum impact. Position big, late flowering bulbs eg tulips and late blooming daffodils in a circle, leaving a bulb size gap between each one. You will need 9 to 12 bulbs in a 30 cm wide container. Cover this first layer of bulbs with enough compost so the tops are just visible. Firm down and fill the gaps ready for the next bulb layer, of 10 to 15 early flowering daffodils which will give colour in March or try a few hyacinths for scent.Nestle each bulb into the gaps between the tops of the bulbs below so that bulbs in lower layers will be able to grow easily past those above. Add more compost to cover the second layer and position the final layer of small early flowering bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops or Iris Reticulata on top. You can pot 15 to 18 bulbs here to start the show in February or early March. Top up the pot with the last layer of compost finishing just below the rim, so there is room for watering. Place in a sunny sheltered spot and keep moist.

Plant perennials and shrubs, it gives them time to establish before winter sets in.

Tidy hedges early September. Beech, hornbeam and conifer (including yew) hedges need a final trim of the year to keep them tidy.

Increase perennials. Divide herbaceous perennials that are finished flowering to increase your plant stock. Keep and replant only the most vigorous and healthy sections for improved flowering

Prolong summer displays. Keep hanging baskets and containers of summer annuals looking good into mid-Autumn by continuing to deadhead, feed and water.

Help Nature

Start feeding birds for the colder months ahead. Feed hedgehogs before they hibernate.

Leave areas of long grass so it can shelter wildlife as the weather gets colder.

Net your pond. Lots of decaying leaves in a pond reduces the amount of oxygen in the water and builds up silt in the bottom. Catch and compost those fallen leaves instead.

Clear nest boxes so birds can use them for nesting in winter. Line them with dry grass to make them warmer for smaller birds.

Plant bulbs for naturalising. For example Fritillary, Wood Anaenomy and Bluebell can provide food for pollinating insects next spring

Vegetables and fruit

Over winter your chilli plants for a bumper crop next year.

Crop sweetcorn. Push your fingernail into a kernel – they are ready if they release milky sap. If the sap is still watery, wait a week or two for the cobs to ripen

Reduce shade in the greenhouse to make the most of the late summer sun. Your tomatoes and peppers will thank you!

Sow spinach, broad beans, rocket, and winter lettuce.

Pick pumpkins and winter squashes late in the month, once the skins are hardened but before the frosts start. Leave in the greenhouse or porch for 7 to 10 days to cure.

Finish harvesting autumn raspberries but leave the fruited canes in place for pruning next February

Deadhead roses to encourage repeat flowering.

Resist the urge to spray! When you see greenfly on plants tried to be patient, rather than spray. Ladybirds and lacewing lava will soon be along to eat them as aphids are an important part of the food chain

Sow dill, coriander and parsley direct to keep supplies coming for weeks to come.

Plant potatoes for Christmas! Maris Piper and Nicola are both good options. 

Move some house plants outdoors, they may well prefer being outside for a few weeks- away from the extreme temperatures of a conservatory or sunny window sill. 

Help out hedgehogs. Leave out a saucer of water for them and other wildlife that might need a drink after very hot days. Place it near long grass, hedges or other likely resting places- to make life easier for them.

Use grey water in the drought. Use water from baths and sinks…. But use within24hrs to prevent bacterial growth and only use in ornamental plants, rather than edibles in case of pathogens. 

Start planning already for spring! Now is the time to order your spring flowering bulbs, including daffodils tulips and crocuses.