insideKENT Magazine Issue 30 - September 2014 | Page 122

OUTDOORLIVING

YOUR GARDEN: september
September is generally a cooler, gustier month than August and the days are noticeably shorter.
While there's not as much to do in the ornamental garden at this time of the year, if you have
a fruit or vegetable patch, you'll be busy reaping the rewards of harvest. It's also time to get out
and start planting spring-flowering bulbs for next year and you can collect seeds for next
summer's colour too. Make the most of the remaining warmth while you can!
TOP 10 JOBS THIS MONTH
1. Divide herbaceous perennials
2. Pick autumn raspberries
3. Collect and sow seed from perennials and
hardy annuals
4. Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage
spoils them
5. Net ponds before leaf fall gets underway
6. Keep up with watering of new plants, using
rain or grey water if possible
7. Start to reduce the frequency of houseplant
watering
8. Clean out cold frames and greenhouses so
that they are ready for use in the autumn
9. Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof
netting
10. Plant spring flowering bulbs

TOP TIPS
Lawns
Mow less frequently, and raise the height of cut
as the growth rate of the grass slows down. This
will help the lawn to withstand the last of the
warm, dry weather, and also keep it resistant to
treading as the wet weather arrives.
You can harden your lawn up for winter by
applying an autumn lawn feed, which is high in
potassium. Do this after scarifying and aerating
but before applying a top dressing. Do not give
summer feeds that are high in nitrogen as this
will only result in weak, soft growth, which will
be prone to disease in the autumn weather.
Loam and sand top dressings are usually
applied at a rate of 2kg per sq m (4.5lb per sq

yd), working them into the lawn with a stiff brush
or the back of a garden rake. If the proprietary
product you use has specific application
instructions, then do follow these closely.
This is an ideal time of year to create new
lawns from turf or seed.
Trees & Shrubs
If the weather is already autumnal, you can now
plant and move shrubs and trees without having
to worry excessively about their survival and
establishment. Shrubs planted now will get off
to a flying start next spring, as they will have had
all winter to settle in.
Prune late-summer flowering shrubs such
as Helianthemum (rock rose) and give evergreen
hedges a final trim to make sure they are in shape
for winter.
Climbing roses can be pruned once they
have finished flowering; sideshoots from the main
branches can be cut back to a couple of buds.
Any dead, diseased or spindly growth
should be cut out and new young shoots tied in
to the supports, from the base. If there is an old,
thick and woody unproductive stem, it can be
removed from the base to stimulate more vigorous
growth.
Thoroughly soak drought-stressed plants
and shrubs, especially newly planted ones. As
the weather becomes cooler and damper, the
soil will better absorb and hold any extra water
you give it.
Clear dead leaves promptly once they start
to fall, as rotting leaves can be a source of disease
in the garden. They are, however, useful on the
compost heap and can be shredded first with a
shredder or mulching mower, to help them break
down quicker.

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Flowers
Don't neglect hanging basket maintenance; a
little deadheading, watering and feeding can
keep them going until mid-autumn. Once they
are past their best, re-plant as winter/spring
hanging baskets with spring-flowering bulbs,
winter heathers, and trailing ivies.
Continue to deadhead plants such as
Dahlia, Dephini um, Rosa and Penstemon to
prolong the display and give colour well into the
month. Continue cutting back perennials that
are fading and dying down.
Now is a good time to divide any overgrown
or tired looking clumps of alpines and herbaceous
perennials such as Crocosmias. This will invigorate
them, and improve flowering and overall shape,
for next year.

The RHS is a UK charity established to share
the best in gardening. Their work is driven
by a simple love of plants and the belief that
gardeners make the world a better place.
For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk