Autumn is coming as the nights close in and you spend less time enjoying your garden. But so much you can do right now to get your outdoor space ready for next spring and summer.
Top 5 gardening jobs for this week:
1 Remove yellowing leaves, old straw and any mouldy fruit from strawberries to improve airflow and reduce disease. Peg down healthy runners into small pots to root new plants. Plant well-rooted runners by the end of September for crops next summer. Water after planting and keep the crowns level with the soil. Visit my YouTube channel,@daviddomoney, to learn more about planting strawberry runners.
2 Cut to ground level the brown, woody raspberry canes that fruited this summer. Tie in this year’s fresh green canes, spacing them evenly and removing weak shoots. Replace worn ties and check posts and wires before autumn gales. Mulch with garden compost to conserve moisture.
3 Sow hardy lettuces such as ‘Winter Density’, ‘Valdor’ or ‘Arctic King’ in modules or short rows. Cover with a cloche or fleece as nights cool. Thin to final spacings once established and water in the morning to reduce damping-off. Guard against slugs with traps, wool pellets or careful hand-picking.
4 Stake tall late-flowering perennials like dahlias, heleniums and asters before autumn winds flatten them. Use canes and soft ties in a figure-of-eight and check after blustery weather. Deadhead regularly to keep flowers coming into October. Water at the base to limit mildew.
5 Trim off spent lavender flower stalks and lightly shape, cutting only into soft green growth. Avoid pruning into old woody stems, which rarely reshoot. Work on a dry day for a clean finish. Top-dress with grit or gravel to keep the base free-draining over winter.
Focus Plant: Anemones
Japanese anemones light up September, flowering just as summer fades. Their airy daisies sway in the breeze and offer late nectar for bees and hoverflies.
It’s a fine time to plant container-grown clumps. For cool elegance in light shade, choose Anemone x hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’, with tall stems and silky white blooms. For soft pink tones, Anemone hupehensis ‘September Charm’ blends well with grasses. For richer colour, ‘Hadspen Abundance’ brings deep pink petals and a long season.
Give them fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Most thrive in partial shade, though they cope with sun if the ground never dries out.
Plant now, water in well, and mulch to lock in moisture. Tall varieties may need discreet staking to stand firm in autumn winds. Deadhead to tidy or leave a few seedheads for winter texture.
Good airflow helps prevent powdery mildew, so avoid crowding and water the soil. In dry spells, a big soak is better than frequent light sprinkling.
They are reliably hardy. After flowering, leave the stems for structure, then cut back in late winter as new growth appears. To increase your stock, divide established clumps in early spring, or take root cuttings from mature plants when dormant.
Fun fact: “Anemone” means windflower, a nod to breezes that ruffle petals and help spread silky seeds.
Did You Know?
• A pineapple is a long-haul crop. From planting to harvest usually takes 18 to 36 months, with several months between flowering and a single fruit fully ripening, which is why pineapples cost more.
• Tulips keep growing even after they’re cut. Cells in the upper stem continue elongating in water, so stems can lengthen by 2-3cm, meaning your arrangements rise and arch as the flowers seek out the light.
• Baobab trees, also known as upside down trees due to their strange shape, survive long dry seasons by storing water in their swollen trunks. The wood acts like a succulent, with high water content and verified reservoirs inside old trees holding thousands of litres, sustaining foliage and flowers through drought.
• In Victorian Britain, people used floriography, the language of flowers, to send coded messages. Each bloom carried a meaning, and bouquet placement could alter the message, allowing feelings to be shared discreetly.
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