Garden school
BY BUZZ
The days are noticeably shorter and the first signs of leaf fall are occurring. Now you are back from your relaxing holiday and it is “off to work we go” in the garden too.
This is a great time for selecting, buying and planting spring flowering bulbs and planting new shrubs and perennials.
Prepare the lawn
Begin your lawn treatment programme this month by raking out the dead grass and moss, before aerating and brushing with horticultural sand. This is really only necessary on a heavy clay soil, but any lawn will benefit. Herbaceous perennials, can be dug up right now with a fork and chopped in half or quarters if big enough.
Replant and water well and you will have extra plants to swap with friends or increase in your own borders. If you are quick, there may even be time to take some late semi ripe cuttings. This way you can ensure that even if we have a really harsh winter you can get to keep your favourite Salvias, French Lavender or tender Pelargoniums going from year to year.
Try a course
If the onset of autumn fills you with dread, then why not book yourself onto a gardening course where you will meet like minded gardening enthusiasts.
Other jobs to do this month include:
- Pick autumn raspberries
- Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting
- Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
- Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
- Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so that they are ready for use in the autumn
