The children are back in school, holidays are over but there's plenty still to do in the garden. Namely the three T's: trim, thin and tidy.
Starting with the pond, the aquatic plants are at their most voluminous now. It is good to start a weekly routine, so that decaying matter will not pollute the water and cause damage to your wild life, especially if the pond freezes over and harmful gases kill the fish.
Cut and clear away any collapsing stems and leaves before they enter the water. Trim back marginal plants by 2/3rds, do not cut them too low in case they have hollow stems and become totally submerged and rot. Leave one or two areas as cover for the various water animals that like to spend the winter hiding near the bank. A good water gardening book will give you more detailed instructions .
Tidy perennial borders, fork out weeds, cut back dead and dying stems to near ground level working in 2-3 oz. per square yard of bonemeal to nourish new growth in spring. Start buying and planting spring flowering bulbs, narcissus, crocuses, chionodoxa, scillas and snowdrops. Try some thing new. Pot up hyacinths, narcissi and tulips.
Sow hardy annuals such as pot marigold, godetia, love-in-a-mist, some poppies and sweet peas. Sowing them now will give you an earlier flowering season next year .
Take tip cuttings of penstemon, fuchsias, ivies, hebes and lots more. Remember these will need indoor protection. In between this activity, take a walk around the garden and see what can be improved on next year. Take a notebook and jot down ideas, visit other gardens, you would be surprised what you can achieve.
Remember the advice I gave you earlier in the year to save your Amaryllis. I hope you were successful and still following instructions. The next few months are critical , let me know if you were successful.
Vegetable and fruit growers will have plenty to do, and having seen the exhibits at Frenchay Flower Show, I'm sure they need no advice from me. I hope that one of them will contact Edna Cause and offer articles for the the Frenchay Community News magazine.
September is not only for hard labour but to enjoy the final burst of splendour before the year dies. Gardens explode into russets, reds, oranges, golds and purples.
Enjoy,
Hazel Wyatt
Starting with the pond, the aquatic plants are at their most voluminous now. It is good to start a weekly routine, so that decaying matter will not pollute the water and cause damage to your wild life, especially if the pond freezes over and harmful gases kill the fish.
Cut and clear away any collapsing stems and leaves before they enter the water. Trim back marginal plants by 2/3rds, do not cut them too low in case they have hollow stems and become totally submerged and rot. Leave one or two areas as cover for the various water animals that like to spend the winter hiding near the bank. A good water gardening book will give you more detailed instructions .
Tidy perennial borders, fork out weeds, cut back dead and dying stems to near ground level working in 2-3 oz. per square yard of bonemeal to nourish new growth in spring. Start buying and planting spring flowering bulbs, narcissus, crocuses, chionodoxa, scillas and snowdrops. Try some thing new. Pot up hyacinths, narcissi and tulips.
Sow hardy annuals such as pot marigold, godetia, love-in-a-mist, some poppies and sweet peas. Sowing them now will give you an earlier flowering season next year .
Take tip cuttings of penstemon, fuchsias, ivies, hebes and lots more. Remember these will need indoor protection. In between this activity, take a walk around the garden and see what can be improved on next year. Take a notebook and jot down ideas, visit other gardens, you would be surprised what you can achieve.
Remember the advice I gave you earlier in the year to save your Amaryllis. I hope you were successful and still following instructions. The next few months are critical , let me know if you were successful.
Vegetable and fruit growers will have plenty to do, and having seen the exhibits at Frenchay Flower Show, I'm sure they need no advice from me. I hope that one of them will contact Edna Cause and offer articles for the the Frenchay Community News magazine.
September is not only for hard labour but to enjoy the final burst of splendour before the year dies. Gardens explode into russets, reds, oranges, golds and purples.
Enjoy,
Hazel Wyatt
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