We have reached the autumn planting and spring bulb planting season. As we
Come to the end of the growing season gives us the opportunity to prepare for next years garden by planting, pruning and perhaps rearranging borders whilst enjoying a glorious glut of fruit and veg and glorious late summer colour.
- We begin planting spring bulbs this month daffodils, snowdrop, crocus, iris, hyacinths, scilla, alliums etc. These are best planted as soon as possible. (Tulips can be planted now but are best planted in October or November)
- Why not plant up some pots of bulbs. Try lasagne planting bulbs in layers to have a succession of flowers and top off with violas for colour now.
- Christmas flowering bulbs make great gifts and can look fresh in a table arrangement. Why not plant some early bulbs such as paperwhite narcissi in pots indoors now. Prepared hyacinths have the most fabulous fragrance.
- Any bedding plants that have faded bin and replace with autumn bedding colour. Viola and pansies are now available along with colourful small evergreens, grasses and ferns.
- Keep dead heading your perennials while they are still flowering. Enjoy your abundant perennial colour. Asters, heleniums, leucanthemums, crocosima, anemone, sedumn, rudbeckia and many more including some of the beautiful grasses.
- Trim your hedges.
- It is the beginning of our autumn planting season That means it is time to start planting most things. Established now while the soil is moist and still warm, plants, tees shrubs and fruit should perform better next year.
- Now is an excellent time to relocate plants and trees if they are in the wrong place.
- It's time to prune most shrubs that flowered before June and fruit trees. We should have a good prune now and this will help to maintain the shape rather than stimulate growth as in the spring. Many plants need diseased dead and damaged branches removing. Don't prune anything that flowered after mid summer day. These plants can wait for a spring prune.
- Give a light hair cut to lavenders and salvias, do not cut into the old wood. Wait to tidy up properly in the spring when new shoots are emerging.
- If you want to get some grass seed down do it now.
- Feed your lawn if it needs it.Use a broadcaster do not do it by hand or you will probably over distribute the feed and burn the lawn blue in patches.
- Mulch your borders to keep the moisture in and add organic goodness.
- Sow herbaceous plants now
- Plant wildflower meadows and the perennials that go in the ground now will establish well for next spring.This is a season for planting your garden for next year. Time to choose shrubs and perennials, get them planted and allowing them time to get rooted before they need to grow.
- Keep feeding your beans while they are cropping then dig the whole plant into the ground.
- Onion sets, shallots and garlic can go in the ground and are now available.
- Most berried fruit plants establishes well for next year when planted while dormant now. Strawberries, raspberries, red currents etc.
- Greece bands are a good investment on your fruit trees before the first lot of moths.
- Quiet a bit of winter veg that can go in. Kale, cabbage, broccoli, sprouts and leeks are quiet typically planted out and grown on. Why not have another crop of perpetual spinach and chard as they are quick and easy. Any winter cabbages, cauliflower brassicas of any description in the ground now need covering so they don't get attacked.
