September
September - the last month of summer and the first month of autumn! As strange as it may sound, you need to prepare your gardens for winter: lawns will need the application of an autumn feed and also, if necessary, aerating and scarifying. This will help your lawn produce a better and deeper root profile. Autumn lawn feeds are low in Nitrogen but have higher values of Potash and Phosphate which promote root growth. Scarifying your lawn along with aeration will (a) get rid of any thatch that has built up in your lawn and (b) get more oxygen down to the roots and reduce compaction. All this effort means that your lawn will be in better shape to face the rigours that the summer of 2011 may throw at it! If you do not feel confident in doing this yourself, get in touch with us at Gardeneer as we are always pleased to help.
Herbaceous plants should be tidied and any dead or scruffy top growth removed; also prune any of your late flowering summer shrubs. If you have a pond in your garden it is a good idea to put a net over it to prevent any leaves falling in.
September is the optimum month to go down to your local garden centre or nursery and purchase your spring flowering bulbs such as Daffodils, Crocus, Tulips, Snowdrops etc. Think about colour schemes, which shrubs may be in flower at the same time and what height they will be. Once purchased, get them into your borders as soon as possible.
Talking of bulbs, here are some autumn flowering bulbs to look out for: Nerine bowdenii with bright pale pink trumpets, great for containers or sunny hot borders. A personal favourite of mine, Schizostylis coccinea, grows showy little bulbs which really stand out with their bright red star-like flowers. Lastly, Colchicums, commonly known as Autumn Crocus or naked ladies as they flower with no leaves. They are great for borders or naturalising in lawns
Jobs for September
1. Review your shrubs/herbaceous plants' performance this year and make notes; this will help you make decisions next year when planning your garden!
2. Ripen any remaining tomatoes indoors from the end of September.
3. Sow winter vegetable crops such as lettuce, turnips, spinach and winter onion sets.
4. Reduce roses to prevent wind rock (loosening of the roots caused by the wind blowing through top heavy roses).
5. As already mentioned, autumn feed lawns and scarify and aerate if necessary.
6. Lift Dahlia and Canna tubers before the first frosts.
7. Give evergreen hedges their final trim.
8. Also, this year being so dry, keep your Rhododendrons and Camellias well watered to help them with good flower bud formation
