August/September 2007

The summer holidays are in full swing and we deserve to relax and enjoy our gardens after all the hard work that we have put into them.

The unusually wet June and July has left plant foliage lush and green along with colourful flowers to fill the border. The grass has never been greener which shows a big contrast from the barren desert conditions from last year!

Keep tidying up the garden by removing dead flowers, stalks and untidy leaves. Give the garden a general weed or hoe followed by mulch and water if it becomes dry. Train new clematis, honeysuckle and wisteria growth before it gets tangled and too brittle to move.

Trim back any long growth shoots which have appeared on roses, fruit trees and shrubs. This helps to maintain the balance of the plant and to prevent any leggy growth which is not strong enough to hold itself up. Now is the time to trim lavender after it has finished flowering. If lavender is not given a haircut it starts to look woody and old and will need to be replaced.

Cut down early fruiting raspberry canes and tie in the new growth which will fruit next year. This is also true for blackberries as they fruit on 2 year old wood. In September hedges can have their final clipping to tidy them up before winter. Remember to remove any weeds in the lawn and reseed any bare patches while the ground is still warm enough to germinate the seed.

Autumn is the ideal time of the year to start looking towards next year’s garden schemes. Start having a look at your garden and make a note of the areas which could be enhanced by a new shrub, fruit tree or ornamental tree. The plants will benefit from being planted early as the warmth in the soil, combined with the autumn rains, will encourage the plants to establish their roots before winter arrives.

Autumn is the best time to plant evergreen plants and conifers as they tend to want little disturbance. A full range of stock can be found in plant centres from the end of September.

Collecting seeds from the garden can be both productive and fun. Choose a dry day and look for flower heads containing brown dry seedpods. Cut the whole head off and carefully put it into a paper bag. Label the bag clearly and leave them for a week or so to dry. Tip the contents onto a sheet of paper and break open any closed pods and sieve or blow away any chaff which could harbour disease. Most hardy perennial seeds can be sown straight away on top of moist compost and covered with a shallow layer of coarse grit. Put them in a cold frame and they will germinate in a few weeks or next spring.

There is a wide range of spring flowering bulbs on offer to be planted out now. As a general rule, the ideal planting depth for a bulb is roughly three times its own size from tip to base. Start with daffodils and crocus leaving the tulips until early November to help prevent slug and fungus damage. Before planting, scatter the bulbs on the ground to create informal drifts rather than formal rows.

The main attraction towards the end of September will be the Japanese maples showing their fabulous autumn colours. Caryopteris will be in bloom with deep blue flowers together with the colours of Ceratostigma and Abelia. Admire the berries on trees like rowans and crab apples.

Happy Gardening!

Contacts
The regular "Gardening Pointers" features for Oxygen Magazine are written and researched by Cat Wilkins.

If you have a comment, or would like to make a suggestion for possible future topics, please feel free to email her by clicking on this link: Cat Wilkins