Gardening Advice for September
Our Plant Area Supervisor Donna shares her monthly gardening checklist.
1. Autumn colour
A colourful container will give your garden a lovely seasonal lift. There are lots of perennials that reach their peak display in autumn including dahlias, sedums, rudbeckias and asters. For a simple and effective container, select your choice of colourful blooms, then add ivy to trail over the side of the pot.
2. Tree time
September is a good month to plant trees as you can take advantage of the warm soil and impending rain. For a vibrant splash of colour, Acers are hard to beat. Many varieties offer stunning displays of red, orange and yellow foliage in autumn. Although hardy, they’ll do best in a sheltered spot, ideally with sandy, slightly acidic soil.
3. Spring forward
It’s already time to start thinking about spring bulbs. Crocuses, snowdrops, daffodils, hyacinths and bluebells can all be planted in pots and borders now. I like to mix an array of different colours and heights for maximum impact – just hold off on the tulips until November to prevent the risk of disease.
4. The great divide
Most perennials benefit from being divided every few years. Doing it now gives them time to establish new roots before winter, ensuring a strong start next spring. Hostas, peonies, irises, Phlox and hardy geraniums are all good candidates for the split. Lift gently with a fork, shaking off excess soil before pulling apart.
5. Hardy heathers
As the soil is still warm yet damp, you can still fill any gaps in your borders with an early-flowering heather. I’m a fan of Calluna vulgaris from the ‘Garden Girl’ range. These small, compact evergreen shrubs come in a choice of different colours, ranging from lime green to berry red. Butterflies and bees love them too.
6. Layer up
Why not get the kids involved in creating a bulb lasagne container filled with spring flowering bulbs? Layer your chosen container with horticultural potting grit or broken terracotta pieces to aid with drainage, add in a layer of peat free multi-purpose compost then plant even layers of daffodils, hyacinths and muscari. Finally top off with compost.
7. Lawn care
This is an ideal time of year to either sow or turf new grass or to repair patches and worn areas on your lawn. If it’s just a worn area of thin grass, rake away all thatch and moss and remove all weeds then thinly scatter grass seed, watering well and keeping it damp. The seed should germinate and grow in days. Just avoid mowing.
8. Better blooms
Rose shrub varieties such as gallicas, ‘English’ roses, albas or Hybrid Perpetuals are best trimmed with shears any time this month. Clip away all long, straggly shoots to leave a compact, slightly domed bush that is about two thirds of its former size. You’ll be rewarded with healthier blooms next summer.
9. Prairie garden
Ornamental grasses are a great way to add height, texture and movement to your garden. Two I recommend are Festuca ‘Intense Blue’ and Pennisetum ‘Fountain Grass’.’
10. Weather warning
Early autumn can be balmy, but we can be sure wilder weather is on its way. Prioritise plant security one of your September gardening jobs to avoid damage later down the line. Young and newly planted trees need staking and older ones should be checked regularly to make sure branches aren’t becoming weak and dangerous.
Feature plant
Heuchera
Versatile, low-growing and great for shade, Heuchera are ideal for under-planting beneath trees. Also known as coral bells, they are great container plants and will provide a welcome shot of colour all year round. Their fantastic foliage comes in an array of bold shades including zingy line and deep purple.
Top tips
They need well drained soil that doesn’t stay soggy. Be careful as damp conditions can lead to rotting.
Before planting, dig lots of compost into the whole planting area to improve the soil and encourage the roots to grow outwards.
Take care to position plants at the same level they were previously growing or slightly higher as heuchera are prone to rotting if their crown is buried.
Water well to settle in and continue to water for at least the first growing season but make sure to avoid wetting the leaves.
Lay a thick mulch of compost around the plants each spring. Heucheras are prone to lifting out of the ground over winter if there is frost or heavy rain, so mulching helps to fill in any gaps that have formed.
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