Gardening tips for September/October

[Gardenman]

My apologies for my absence over summer, but I have a good excuse. I?ve been running my yoga & meditation retreats out in beautiful Kefalonia. Where were you all? The result is, I?m very relaxed, very tanned & very happy :-))

But, back to the subject in hand. Your gardens, & believe it or not there?s still plenty of work to be done after a lovely summer here too.

So if you?re sitting comfortably, I?ll begin

1. As said it?s been a great summer, which will have taken its toll on your plants, but mainly your lawn. So, make sure you are not mowing too low & give it a good scarifying with a spine rake or if you?re prepared with a scarifier, then mow all that moss & debris off & aerate with a fork every 6 inches in old money & feed with an autumn potassium feed. Not too much, but evenly. This will protect your lawn throughout winter. If, however, your lawn has been damaged or is patchy, or needs replacing, this is the best time of year to do it. The lawn will have plenty of time to establish itself & be ready for next spring. Be mindful of the weather as to water it or not.

Oh, not forgetting to sweep, blow or rake those leaves off the lawn regularly, sorry, every 3-4 days. I know I say it every year, but those trees are very clever taking all the toxins in our highly polluted city air & dumping them on the ground to prevent any rivals growing under them, including your lawn. Clever huh?

2. Prune climbing Roses back to two buds on the main stems. Cut out any dead or diseased stems back to the ground or main stem

3.Give evergreen shrubs & hedges a final trim & shape to get through winter & promote growth in spring.

4. Prune late flowering shrubs like Philadelphus ( mock orange)Plumbago, Jasmin

5. Good time to plant & move trees & shrubs for a good start in spring, healing them in well with some compost & a good watering

6. Start planting all the lovely bulbs now available in garden centres & diy stores for spring colour. Think about your colour pallet & be creative

7. Divide Alpines, Crocosmia, herbaceous perennials & collect seeds from them too. As I always say; Free plants )))

Still with me, or dropped off to sleep yet??? Not too much more to go))

8. Keep deadheading Dahlias, Delphiniums, Roses & Penstemons

9. Also keep your hanging baskets & containers going a bit longer by deadheading & feeding. If & when they are finished, plant up with spring bulbs, ivy & maybe some Heathers.

To bring some winter colour, plant up wonderful Skimmias for lovely red berries in winter & pretty white flowers & evergreen leaves throughout the year. Also bring lovely washed out colours over winter with Christmas roses or Hellebores in a dappled shady place. Forget the wallflowers)))

10. Put nets over ponds to keep out the leaves which will poison the water.

11. Reduce watering of indoor plants, which brings me into one of my new projects. I have started a new company supplying special plants to clean the air in offices, shops & homes & studios. This provides a healthy working environment bringing cleaner air & more alertness. Like so many plants, when used properly, they can help us & our environment in sommany ways. I supply & maintain them in your place of work with a monthly maintenance program on a yearly contract. Let me know if you want to know more.

As I always say, if you don?t have time for these tasks, please get in touch with one of the highly recommended gardeners on the forum or ourselves to help out.

We also design & build gardens including fencing, lawns, planting, water features, decks & patios.

I provide a free quote & initial design service. Alternatively if you haven?t got a garden or can?t be bothered until spring, I hear it?s still lovely & warm in Kefalonia)))

I wish you a great month & happy gardening

Nigel

Exterior Design Gardens

New no. ( don?t ask why!!!) 07759862191

[Gardenman]

If you are lucky enough to have any fruit trees in your garden & you can?t use all the fruit, it would be neighbourly to put a box of your spare fruit out for your neighbours to use rather than letting them go to waste.

Also, forgot to say. Cut back your shrub roses hard close to a bud at an angle to prevent the branches blowing in the wind causing root rock which will bring disease to your roses. Also cut off any leaves with black spot & make sure you pick up any diseased leaves & burn or bag them as black spot is a fungal disease & goes back into the soil.

[Gardenman]

A good time to power wash decks & wood structures & then paint or give a wood preservative treatment to.

[Gardenman]

This is the very best time of year for all garden projects. Patios, decks, lawns walls, planters landscaping & more, basically because no one is in the garden at this time of year and you get a garden ready for next spring & summer & you won?t have to wait because we?re all booked up!

[Gardenman]

I?ve had my Hayter lawnmower stolen. It?s dark green with a roller. Let me know if you see one . My insurance company won?t pay for a replacement, so going to need a new one. Must have a roller. Thanks

[mshah]

Hi Nigel,

Thanks for your tips. I have succulents growing outside in a tub. I'm thinking I should cover them up as it'll get frosty soon. Any ideas or tips on how to make a "cloche" type thing to protect them? Moving them inside isn't an option as the tub weighs a ton!

Thx

[Gardenman]

Regarding succulents, you are right, they do need protection. There is a possibility of finding a glass cloche in a good garden centre. Alternatively you could use a garden fleece or use straw gently stuffed in between & covering the plants. Hope that helps