Gardens should still be a mass of colour this month with the bedding, hanging baskets and window boxes at their best and the hardy borders with their late summer display of Michaelmas daisies (asters), heleniums and sedums. Some of the border plants will now need to be trimmed down, and dead-heading and weeding should still be done. Winter pansies and polyanthus can be planted now, and before the end of next month wallflowers and sweet williams will need to be planted. Spring-flowering bulbs are now in the garden centre and it is a good time to buy them whilst the selection is at its best. In the garden, daffodils, crocus, tulips, hyacinths and a host of small-flowered bulbs can be planted over the next 3 months, but prepared hyacinths and other bulbs for planting indoors in bowls should go in without delay. Some of the lilies are planted at this time of the year. In the greenhouse, tomatoes still need to be watered regularly. It is now time to start to sow sweet peas under glass so that plants will be read for next spring’s planting.
Harvesting should be in full swing in the vegetable garden and it is now time to start putting in the special early onion sets. Keep the runner beans regularly watered and still watch for caterpillars on the brassica crops. Lawns should still be regularly cut and can be treated now with an autumn lawn dressing. There is still time to take cuttings of many shrubs and it is now a good time to start to plant container-grown climbers, shrubs and perennial plants.
This is the month when the local horticultural societies have their autumn flower shows, with the Chipperfield show taking place on September 17. The final big show of the year is the Malvern autumn show on September 24/25. Here in Chipperfield we are looking forward to Pippa Greenwood’s talk on September 22, which should be a very interesting evening.
Terry Simmonds