Monthly Gardening Advice
for September

SeptemberThis month always starts with mixed emotions for me. While it is a productive and busy time in the garden it also heralds the waning of summer. Having said that the last few Summers have been quite unusual in that they seem to have gone on and on and this year seems set to be even more unusual as England are favourites to win the Ashes!...Yes even I have been rushing home to watch the cricket!

Lawns: Mow once or twice a week. At this time of year we normally start to experience quite heavy dew which can make the lawn quite wet. Wait till the dew has dried off before mowing...late afternoon or early evening is the best time. If you are considering planting a new lawn then this month is the ideal time. To keep or restore your lawn to its peak condition there are three jobs that need to be done at this time of year: Scarifying, Aerating and Top Dressing. see Monthly Lawncare Guide. for more details.

Watering: Keep watering and feeding your garden especially plants in pots and containers.

Feeding: A good all round feed for flowering plants is Tomato Feed. Use it on annuals perennial and pot plants.

Deadheading: Keep deadheading annuals and perennial to prolong their display in to Autumn unless you are intending to collect their seed. Clip lavenders if you have not already done so to remove the dead flower heads and stalks but not back into the old wood.

Seeds: Keep looking out for plants that are seeding and collect for sowing or storing.

Pruning: Early flowering perennial like geraniums and achilleas whose display is over and have become untidy can be cut back to ground level now to encourage new growth.

Planting: Autumn flowering bulbs such as Colchicums (Autumn Crocus) should be planted now. You can also sow hardy annuals which are normally sown in the Spring for an early display next year. Sowing them now encourages stronger growth ...they may need to be protected with fleece in very cold areas but should be no problem in milder gardens.What to Plant when and Where
Wallflowers can be planted out now which will flower in spring. A favourite display is to mix them with long stemmed tulips whose flowers rise above the Wallflowers creating contrast of form and colour.

Spring Flowering Bulbs: Most bulbs can be planted from now until early winter although Tulips should be left until November if possible to avoid disease but daffodils should be planted as early as possible. Buy bulbs in the same way you would buy onions; Choose those that are firm with no root or shoot growth and no obvious signs of disease, mould or discolouration. You can get good deals on bulbs this time of year through catalogues or online as summer sales are still on. Bulbs online

Further Advice. I recently discovered an interesting resource for advice on gardening techniques and products especially items such as lawn mowers, trimmers, furniture and gardening gadgets It's the online version of Which Magazine and you can take advantage of its articles for free!
You can get a 30 day free trial of the magazine that gives you
access to all the gardening articles and you don't have to sign up for the subscription at the end of it! Which Online

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