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NEW LAWNS
This time of year is ideal to get a new lawn established. The cooler, wetter weather is ideal for the grass seed to germinate and you will be spared the job of having to water the ground in dry spells. There’s still enough heat in the sun for the grass to establish itself as well, before winter sets in. If you have taken the time and trouble to prepare a level, stone free seed bed (believe me it is a lot of work preparing the ground for a lawn!) then it might be an idea to leave it for a couple of weeks after you have prepared it. The reason for this isn’t to wait until your back has repaired itself, but if you wait for a while all the annual seeds on the top of the soil will have germinated. These can then be hoed down, creating a weed free bed to sow the grass seed on. This method is known as “ Stale seedbed” and it also is helpful to spot, and remove the odd perennial weed that was left in the soil such as dandelions, docks and creeping buttercups.
Get ready for autum
This month as autumn approaches it is time to give some thought to getting the garden ready for the colder months ahead. It is an ideal time to begin getting plants ready for the winter and to plant spring bulbs, harvest fruit and vegetables.
Plant bare-rooted, deciduous trees and shrubs now, during their dormant season. Some people have a fear of buying bare rooted plants, but if you buy them as soon as they appear in the shops/garden centres, there is no problem at all, they are much cheaper than potted ones and will establish quickly, especially if care is taken in soil preparation.
Plant spring bulbs as long as the ground is workable
If any major tree pruning is required to remove large branches, now is the time to do it. Remember, major jobs require a tree surgeon.
Keep an eye out for unwanted seedlings of native trees and pull them out while still small. This will save a lot of trouble later on.
The bulbs of spring flowering tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and crocus are planted during the autumn months of September, October and November. Select good firm, disease free bulbs. Plant the bulbs three times deeper than the greatest diameter of the bulb. For example, crocus bulbs that usually have about a one-inch diameter should be planted three inches deep. The bulbs will grow and flower best in well-drained soil.
Pot up some spring flowering bulbs for indoor colour during the winter. Store the pots in a cool, dark place, until new growth emerges from the soil, and then move them to a bright window.
TAKING CUTTINGS
Take semi-hardwood cuttings of holly, cherry laurel and evergreen conifers. Select a stem- tip from the current season's growth. Cut straight above a node to give a cutting 10-15cm in length. Remove all but the top two leaves. Slice 3cm of bark from one side of the cutting at the base. Dip the wound in hormone rooting powder, then insert into cuttings compost or a free draining mixture of peat and bark. Ensure the cutting will stand upright. Firm in and water well. Kept humid and frost free (in a cold frame or propagator) cuttings will root in the winter and can be potted on in spring. A good hint for you, put your cuttings around the edge of the pot, this way, they will not get too water bound, and will root better and quicker.
As perennials fade away, mark their locations with small sticks. Some might not be apparent after the winter and might be disrupted by spring cultivating.
Herbaceous plants can be tidied up and cut back now. Don't be in too much of a hurry, though, as the 'skeletons' of many plants can be very decorative in their own right. If your soil is light, you can lift, divide and replant many perennials over the next couple of months, but only when it's not too wet.
Plants divided in very wet weather or planted in heavy soil are prone to rot.
Plant spring bedding now so that it gets a chance to establish. This will give an earlier display next year.
If you want to add some colour to the garden this winter, try pansies. The pansies are particularity nice to plant when planting bulbs, because they reach their peak of beauty in the springtime, just about the same time the bulbs bloom.
Perennials can be started from seed this month. Simply scatter the seeds in a row or in open beds. Then the young seedlings can be transplanted into a permanent spot next spring.
Put in new heathers. Plant them an inch deeper in the soil than in the pot so they are nice and sturdy.
ROSES
Roses will need a prune now to prevent wind rock. Just reduce the bushes to half their size and leave like that until early spring, and then you can cut them back harder.
FALLEN LEAVES
Fallen leaves can mean food for earthworms and make brilliant mulch around shrubs and trees. Of course they can also be a real irritation when they cover paths, ponds, lawns and drainpipes. Collect what you can and put them into the compost bin. If you don’t have a compost bin, put them into a dustbin liner bag with a pint or two of water and leave until summer. You will have then have a great bulking agent for your flowerpots.
FEED THE BIRDS
Birds that stay with us for the winter will benefit by having their feeders topped up.
WINTER BEDDING
It’s not too late to plant out the winter bedding. Try wallflowers, and forget- me- nots, primulas, violas, daisies and anything else that is looking good in the garden centres.
HERBACEOUS PERENNIALS
When you are in the garden centre have a look for good herbaceous perennials. Now is a good time to add these to the garden, as the soil is still warm(ish) but moister then it was in summer.
IN THE VEGETABLE GARDEN
Dig up your rosemary, basil, tarragon, oregano, marjoram, thyme, parsley, and chives to grow them inside as houseplants. Keep them in a cool, sunny spot, and allow the soil to dry out before watering. Snip off the leaves as needed in the kitchen, but do not strip them completely
Tidy up your mint, I have mine in a pot, and every year or so, I empty out, and remove the older part of the plant, and pot up the younger growth.
Cut and store marrows before the frosts.
BRASSICAS
Check your brassicas for pests. Just because it is cold doesn’t mean that greenfly are not active. Our broccoli is still disappearing fast, as they munch away. Put a net over them if pigeons are around too.
Put cloches over late salad crops such as lettuce and radish to keep them cropping. Look out for slugs
Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, irises, fritillaries and small bulbs in rock gardens can all be planted now.
Sow lawn seed It’s not too late if it isn’t too wet.
Dahlias. The dahlias are flowering a lot longer into the season than previous years. They are usually blackened by the frosts by now but most of them are still producing flowers. Deadhead them until they are killed off then dig them up and cut the stems down to about 10 cm (4 inches) Stand them upside down to drain.
Shredding. At this time of year the garden can produce a real excess of waste. Shredding the larger materials in the garden and mulching with it under the shrubs if by far the best thing that you can do with your autumn clearout materials. The smaller bits can go straight into the compost bin.
Evergreen Pots. Empty the summer bedding pots into the compost and get a new selection of plants to give colour through the winter. Use one or two small evergreen plants such as euonymus or small conifers for the centre and fill around them with seasonal bedding like winter flowering pansies.
Clean greenhouse glass
Every year give the outside of your greenhouse a good wash. General grime and algae accumulates on the glazing, reducing the amount of light getting through to plants inside. Use a hose and a stiff brush, slowly spraying and brushing every glazing panel in turn. Choose a warm day to complete the job.
Insulate your greenhouse
Insulate your greenhouse using bubble polythene. Choose grades made especially for greenhouses, as these contain UV stabilisers, which prevent them from breaking down in daylight. Simply pin the polythene to wooden-framed greenhouses. With aluminium models, use special plastic clips that twist into place in the frame. In addition, use sheets of white polystyrene to line the glazing under the staging. This also reflects extra light back into the greenhouse.
Check the health of plants
Check each week that plants being over wintered under glass are healthy and pick off discoloured leaves and dead flowers, which encourage diseases. Make sure plants remain pest free. Water plants more sparingly now conditions are turning cooler and make sure there is good circulation around their foliage, to prevent fungal diseases
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