Dividing and planting
Without wishing the summer away, there’s definitely a change in the overall feel of the garden. The hydrangeas and sedums are subtly developing their autumn hues. The dahlias are putting on their flamboyant and colourful show, filling jugs and vases, bringing some seasonal joy throughout the house once again.
Our figs are deliciously ripe. This year they are particularly attracting birds to share them with us! I’ve lost count how many ice cream tubs I’ve filled with blackberries from our hedgerows. We've enjoyed, given away, roasted and frozen our glut of Victoria plums. All of this harvesting gets me thinking about preparing ahead for the next season..
There’s always one tree in our garden that changes before the rest, and that is our Prunus Sargentii. This is a beautiful tree that has a delicate blossom in the spring, and a roaring rich red canopy during the month of September. It normally has no leaves left by October!
So, what is there to do in the garden? Let me tell you.
1 - Lawns - this can be in the form of maintenance. It could be scarification and feeding, or preparing for a new lawn, be it turf or seeded or maybe a wildflower lawn with a mown path through it! We have a lot of lawn here, that takes some maintenance! Usually at this time of year when the grass starts to slow down we can start giving it some TLC. Scarifying is well worth doing, especially if you’ve got quite a mossy lawn. This can be done using a metal tined grass rake, or a mechanical scarifier, which will lift out the moss/thatch and aerate the area. It will look very patchy so you should then sow fresh grass seed that will eventually freshen up the whole area.
2 - Start planting spring bulbs. There’s still time to order too if you’re quick! The choice is endless and now is the perfect time to start planting the really early flowering bulbs like crocuses, Muscari, and some Narcissi. I love the anticipation they offer, followed by the absolute joy these tiny flowers bring in the winter/early spring months when we need it the most.
3 - Start lifting and dividing late spring /early summer flowering perennials, this is a really good time to make assessments here and there in the borders, especially with some perennials that have become congested and may have stopped flowering or performing their best. Dividing and splitting is the best way to rejuvenate things like geraniums, nepeta and other flowers that form large clumps. Doing this will increase their vigour and give you more plants for free! All you need is a fork to lift them out of the ground, and a sharp spade to slice through and divide them.
4 - Finish pruning and tidying evergreens. Now is the moment, and last chance, to finish off any pruning and clipping before winter. We prune any evergreens (mostly the Yew!) that we have not managed to get to, and give them one final tidy. This will only be a very light trim and nothing heavy duty or severe!
5 - Prepare the ground for bare root season next month. We are planning on planting up some bare-rooted roses and shrubs in the coming months. Now is the time to get the ground prepared, fed and nourished ready for their arrival. What we tend to do here is turn the soil over in the area where they’re going to be planted, give the area a good few bucket loads of well rotted manure, and maybe a handful of fish blood and bone. Then, come October/November, when bare root season begins, the ground is nice and ready for them to go into, enabling the rose to get off to a good start!
