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Gardening teaches us responsibility, patience, persistence and so much more. Another thing that nature brings is the certainty that the seasons will change and the jobs that will need doing in the garden at various times of the year will come back around. When you watch and work with the rhythm of the seasons, a deeper connection with the natural world can be felt. I always feel like September is one of those months where the certainty of change is inevitable. The summer flowers fade and others hold on, as the kitchen garden harvests change to the earthy autumn crops and the leaves begin their awesome colour transformation, the certainty brings comfort and the autumn jobs begin.
Less watering should be needed during September as the temperature cools down but there will still be days and dry spells where watering will help to keep plants thriving. Container plants and hanging baskets, dry areas of the garden and anything still flowering and fruiting so have a regular watering unless it rains which is more likely this month. While there is less watering needed, there are still plants especially newly planted shrubs and trees that will need to be watered so keep a check on the weather and the moisture in your soil.
Morris at Hopes Grove is such an authority on pruning hedging and I asked him what his advice is for pruning native hedges. Morris explained that cutting season generally starts in August and ends in late February to avoid nesting birds and for maximum value, he suggests following a biennial process so that one side is cut etc year, leaving the other side with autumnal berries for interest and wildlife. Now why had I never thought of that!?
There are always exceptions to gardening rules, for example Blackthorn can be trimmed from late summer to early autumn but Hawthorn is anytime from late autumn to early spring – so know your hedge!
Evergreen hedges are best cut in early Spring or early Autumn, although you will find exceptions, such as Laurel hedging which is best trimmed in July or August.
Give them a light trim to make sure they are in great shape for winter. This will be particularly good for faster growing hedges such as Leylandii.
For more information on trimming hedges, check out the knowledge base.
Removed any diseased or damaged stems but otherwise, I leave mine as they are for overwinter interest plus shelter and food for wildlife. Collecting seeds to sow is a useful way to get more plants for free and an enjoyable dry morning activity. For many perennials the old growth continues to protect the ground level new growth in late winter or early spring, until the old growth is cut back in spring time.
It is too early for frosts and we all hope for the Indian summer, however, there is a lot to do during autumn so it’s a good idea to start thinking about how you will protect tender plants over winter and if you need to make space for containers to be moved to for better overwinter shelter. Gathering bricks or ‘pot feet’ to stand containers on for better drainage is a good idea, and getting some horticultural fleece ready for when it’s needed is useful as well.
Coming out of the heat of summer and into autumn means it’s almost time to start planting bare-root hedges. If you are planning on creating a new hedgerow, a privacy hedge or any kind of hedge planting prepare the ground now by clearing it, mulching and measuring ready for the arrival of your new hedging plants. If you can’t wait a few weeks longer try Instant impact hedges and potted hedging plants which can be planted out now with regular watering while it is still quite warm.
If the weather does turn autumnal quickly in September, there’s no reason why you can’t get stick into moving shrubs and trees if needed. This will give them plenty of time to establish over winter for next year.
Don’t forget to keep trees and shrubs watered during dry spells and give them a mulch to help over the autumn/winter period. If you have shrubs such as Rhododendron and Camellia, they do need to be watered so the buds form for flowers next year.
It’s time to lift the height of your mower blades as the growth rate of grass will begin to slow down from September. If you need to re seed your lawn or put some new turf down, autumn is a great time to establish a lawn. Ensure your lawn is well aerated by using a garden form to make holes in the lawn and rake away any leaves. If you’d like to feed your lawn, an autumn fertiliser with potassium and low nitrogen can be used. Use a scarifier to remove unwanted areas of thatch, and it’s a good idea to rake over some top dressing after autumn lawn maintenance.
If you grow Sweetcorn and noticed they have been nibbled, this is very likely rats. I can remember years ago and old allotment neighbour covering his corn cobs with socks and I thought it looked hilarious! It really does deter them from munching them before you get to harvest though… never throw away odd socks because this is when they will come in handy!
This can begin to appear at this time of year and into October. You might spot white fungal growth in-between the bark on trees and this is more often than not at the ground level. There are other fungus that look similar so be sure to get it identified. If you do see honey fungus, removal is the only way to control an aggressive species of honey fungus. Less aggressive species may only restrict growth and not spread so keep a close eye on it so you know what action to take. All material removed will need to be destroyed.
Slugs and snails will still be looking for food and if you have left your potatoes in the ground, I recommend lifting them as soon as you can before they end up with holes in them!
This can become a problem, especially if we do have a warm September. Remove foliage with the disease or if your plants are coming to the end of their prime, leave it as is and the rain will hopefully clear it up.
Keep on deadheading bedding plants, some may well last to the first frosts. By the end of the month it will be time to give beds, pots and containers a refresh with some winter flowering Pansies, Heathers, Cyclamen and Ornamental Cabbages.
Dividing herbaceous perennials is a great way to sort overcrowded clumps to keep them thriving and get more free plants. Give plants a thorough water after dividing and replanting.
Plant spring flowering bulbs including Daffodils, Crocus, Alliums and Hyacinths for plenty of spring colour next year.
Keep on deadheading Penstemon, Roses and Dahlias for some lovely indoor cut flower displays and to ensure they flower for as long as possible.
Fill gaps in the border with Chrysanthemums and Sedums plus other winter bedding plants.
Flower seeds to sow in September
Fruit and vegetable seeds to sow in August
It’s time to order bare root hedging plants and trees. These can be planted over winter and are in demand. So, if you do want to save some pennies and fill out your garden or create privacy and homes for wildlife plan ahead and order your plants.
If you still have cordon tomatoes hanging on in the greenhouse, chop off the top so the plant puts it’s remaining energy into ripening fruits rather than more green growth. Give everything a clean out ready to bring in tender plants to be overwintered and seeds sown to be protected over the colder months.
Ponds can be netted to stop autumn leaves falling into the water. The net should be big enough to allow pond creatures to get in and out but to keep leaves away.
Plan plenty of spaces for wildlife to shelter from the cooler weather and predators, include lots of native plants, hedging and trees. Ensure you have a topped up bird bath with fresh water and bird food ready for autumn and winter.
As soon as leaves fall, start to rake them up for the compost pile or to make a leaf mulch. Fallen leaves are natures way to replenish the soil, so make the most of them!
Give your vegetable beds a tidy up to ensure pests and diseases don’t overwinter under used straw, leaves or other debris.
Pot Strawberry runners for more free Strawberry plants next year. You will see long stems growing from the original plants and on the stem will be a mini strawberry plant that looks like leaves. By potting that into a small pot of multi purpose peat free compost, while keeping the runner still attached the original plant, it will root over time and you can snip it away from the main plant. The runner will need to be clipped down to the soil. I use a bent cocktail stick to do this as it will then rot or can be composted.
Apples, pears, blackberries and plums will be ready for harvesting and is there anything more tasty than pulling an apple from the tree and biting into a juice, sweet homegrown fruit? Beats supermarket bought that’s for sure!
If you have summer fruiting raspberries, cut back the canes avoiding the new green canes which will fruit next year. Leave autumn fruiting raspberries until next year.
It will almost be time for the Pumpkin harvest and it can be helpful to remove foliage shading the fruits to get them as much light as air circulation as possible. Lift them up off the soil by placing them on a piece of wood or a brick to ensure they don’t rot.
When you have finished cropping legumes, cut them back to ground level but leave the roots in the soil. This can help to release nitrogen back into the soil for plants to grow in next year.
Garlic sets can be planted towards the end of the month, and onion sets any time from now.
Harvest, harvest and harvest!
Happy September!
