My apologies for abandoning you over summer, but I was having fun running my retreats out in beautiful Kefalonia.
I think our summer was a bit better out there. Only 5 days of rain all summer! Can’t say that for our recent soaking here in London !
Plenty to do, so let’s get on with it. Grab a cup of coffee or something stronger to keep you awake!!

1. It’s the annual never ending task of clearing those leaves off your lawns, ponds & borders . The good reason for this is our trees are amazing & they take as many of the toxins out of the air as they can through their leaves & drop
them below to prevent other plants growing under them including our lawns & taking the oxygen out of our ponds. Give the lawn a high cut leaving 4cms 1 1/2 inches in old money of grass left. Then rake & aerate the lawn to help air & drain the roots due to the amount recent rain. If you haven’t applied an Autumn lawn feed , do so now. It’s full of potassium which will protect your lawn & give it a good start in spring. Grass seed will not take at this time of year, but it’s a great time to lay turf lawns to establish themselves over winter. Lift out toadstools & funghi especially if you have children .
Clear the leaves from your ponds too & maybe put some netting over them to keep the leaves off & hungry Herons that want a free meal from your fish! Rake out the borders too to protect your plants .

2. One of the nicer things to do is to plant up spring flowering bulbs like snowdrops, tulips , crocuses & irises to bring you the colour we all need after winter.

3. Prune back dead leaves & flowers from Hellebores, Christmas roses for a lovely muted colour display over winter & into spring . Prune your shrub roses hard & climbing roses tight to the fence, trellis or frame it is attached to. For talker unsupported roses, cut them back to avoid root rock which causes disease. Talking of which , pick off all black spot leaves & pick up all infected leaves as the disease is carried by the spores in these leaves. Add new ties where needed. You can cut back ornamental grasses now if you won’t miss their colours.

4. Wrap soft plants ; tree ferns, Bougainvillea, Pennisetums in a fleece to protect from frost. Also, bubble wrap any at risk pots to prevent frost getting in. Also, lift them of the ground with feet or bricks
Also when wrapping things , don’t forget taps & pipes . Just use the easy applicable foam protection available from Homebase or plumbing merchant

5. Lift & store Dahlias, Begonias & Cannas, put them in a paper bag in a dry place. While digging, apply a well rotted mulch or wood chip to to non hardy plants.

6. If you haven’t started feeding the birds , set up a bird table so you can enjoy bringing & seeing them in your garden . Feed them with good quality seed balls , not bread . Check for hedgehogs before starting any fires. Much to your dogs annoyance feed them dog food & fresh water.

7. Nearly finished zzzzz It’s probably the best time of year for garden projects , building decks, fences, seating, walling, laying lawns, creating borders, adding lighting & water features or building garden offices , storage sheds or play rooms . All this because you are not in your gardens much at this time of year . We need the work & you get a beautiful, colourful garden come spring , when we will all be busy anyway !

So, as I always say, use the well recommended gardeners, designers & landscapers on this forum. I include myself & my well trained team of awesome lads & wish you a safe & enjoyable bonfire night. Halloween, Diwali ( there’s a lot going on & I won’t mention the election!!)

Nigel
Exterior Design Gardens
07759 862191



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit was october 30, 02:24pm by Gardenman.

Thank you so much Nigel! Many of us don't have gardens but do have plant filled balconies we also love and care for. On one south facing balcony I have a very big pot with a 15 year old Wisteria that has never flowered. Any idea when I should trim it back and by how much? No worries if you have no time to reply! Sure I can found out elsewhere.

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Humanist Funeral Celebrant

Hello Peckham Rose . How wonderful that you are growing a Wisteria in a pot! If it’s been therefor 15 years, there’s a good chance it may need Re potting as it may well be root bound . This is a good time of year for that while it’s fairly dormant . But if that’s too big a task , then remove some of the soil from the top of the pot & replace with a potash compost.
Wisteria like to be pruned in February & September. Cut back the whips ( the small wispy branches) to the third bud before the main branch & cut out any branches that are damaged or dying . Then give it a good potassium feed dug well I’m around the roots & make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Let me know how it gets on .

I forgot to mention, it is a good time of year to power wash your patios, decks , paths & other areas affected by damp. Let them dry off, do any re pointing that needs doing & then apply a wood treatment to decks & a sealant to stone paths & patios . Most damage is done during the winter which is why it is good to get it done now rather than spring !