September is the beginning of one of my favourite times of year, not least for the fact that the garden is more relaxed than it has been for some time.
The fight to keep the plants watered or producing or deadheaded has eased and a new wave of tasks is awaiting us.
In My Garden
Sedums are a favourite in the September garden
As well as the Hakonechloa giving a ‘Japanese air’
The Virginia Creeper I planted three years ago is at last showing its true early autumn colours and hiding a fence at the same time
Quite sad but delightful to pick the last flush of my garden roses and bring indoors
I have noticed that the spiders are fattening up, a sign summer is coming to an end.
In Your Garden
While there’s not as much to do in the ornamental garden at this time of the year, if you have a fruit or vegetable patch, you’ll be busy reaping the rewards of harvest. This is what you should be doing this month, I know a little late!
Divide herbaceous perennials
Pick up apples off the ground
Collect and sow seed from perennials and hardy annuals
Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
Keep up with the watering of new plants, using rain or grey water if possible
Start reducing the frequency of houseplant watering
Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
Pop along to the garden centre and stock up on spring flowering bulbs, but leave planting the tulip bulbs til October