I ’ve come to love September almost as much as May . It ’s a calendar month of gentle modulation , bidding farewell to summertime and ushering in fall . September is famously subdued , rich and characterful , like a fine wine-colored or well - craft cheese . garden become mellow , velvety and overblown ; slightly frayed around the boundary but still splendid .
This September feels a little different . Indeed , If I appear back at photographs of previous years , the garden and allotment are forward by about a month . A signified of glorious disarray has come ahead of time to the Jungle Garden . The Gin & Tonic Garden is beautiful but almost impenetrable . Every effort to gallop my hosiery along the paths solvent in some plant or another getting tangled in it . I deal less now that we ’re on the soft slope towards autumn . The allotment was exhibit much hope , but no amount of watering could keep the raspberries from shrivelling in the August sun . Powdery mold took clutch in mid - August and is now sweeping through the dahlia bed quicker than the Omicron variant . We ’ve tried all non - chemic methods of control but to no help . They ’ve had a good innings , so we just have to live with it . One flower that ’s fared incredibly well through all the heat and drouth is the chrysanthemum . The plants have positively revelled in this summer ’s condition , and we look set to enjoy a spectacular display of sprays , singles and spider next month .
A garden in September can be the pinnacle of a yr ’s endeavour – the lazy , hazy look of swaying grasses , marvellous perennial and exotic leaf ca n’t be bought or replicated overnight . However , the conditions in 2022 has take exception even the most experient gardener . Exceptional weather has leave us with parched lawn , frazzle borders , aweary mickle and tired Tree . If your garden is dehydrate beyond redemption , take heart – you are not alone . Sit tight and wait for the weather to alter , then begin by divide perennial , locomote shrubs and planting spring - flowering bulbs in beds and lawns . Do n’t be too quick to ‘ winterise ’ your garden , as wildlife will benefit from a grade of mental confusion . By spring , your garden should bear no scratch from the summer we ’ve just had .
September At A Glance
Planwhat embed to move when the weather condition renormalise and think about autumn and wintertime container display . You might even want to get ahead and write a Christmas list!Sowhardy annual including calendula , larkspur , antirrhinum , Uvularia grandiflora and nigella ( love - in - a - mist ) ; salad leaves , radish , rocket , Petroselinum crispum , coriander and winter spinach plant . Take cuttingsof Pelargonium , impatiens , tradescantia , plectranthus , coleus , penstemon , berberis , ceanothus , choisya , hebe , rosemary , lavender , philadelphus , salvias and genus Viburnum . Plantcontainer - develop shrubs and perennials . Divide overcrowded clustering and replant the vigorous outer sections . Move biennial and spring cabbages into their last position . Pruneover - exuberant growth and continue trim hedging , but not conifer ( with the exception of yew ) . you may remove old prow of summertime - fruit hoot at the base . Harvesttomatoes , cucumber vine , sweetcorn , beetroot , carrots , chillies , courgettes , French beans , smuggler beans , Swiss chard , FIG , raspberries , blackberry bush and plums , plus seed from blossom and vegetables that you ’d like more of or care to partake with friends . Pick – helianthus , dahlia , angelical peas , zinnias , cosmos , gladioli , pinks and chrysanthemums . It ’s a honorable idea to clean any flowers you be after to dry before the atmospheric condition turn moist and foggy . Make – jams , chutney , preserves and pickles . grip up seeds to give as gifts at Christmas . Buy - pruning dick , shears , bulb planters , autumn and wintertime eff plant and spring - blossom bulbs . Order stripped - rootle plants for manner of speaking from November onwards . Enjoythe breathless fall light ; cool , brumous dayspring result to burnished solar day ; watching butterfly and dragonflies ; feed homegrown produce . September ’s unselfishness is hard to get . Visitopen gardens to gather ideas for your own . Many gardens make an effort to expand their ingathering until the end of October with display of tender tropicals or ardent perennials . Great Comp in Kent is a favourite of ours , a garden brimming with dahlias , grasses and sage . If you ’re in Cornwall , a visit to the National Dahlia Collection is a must . Further north , Halls of Heddon put on a tremendous showing of dahlias peak later this calendar month .
Hopefully , your wanted plant have survive the summertime vacation in fine fettle . As the days get forgetful and nights become cool , it ’s all change in price of their care government :
This might be a little extreme, but it’s a great way of sharing warmth and water with your houseplants!
My nursery door has n’t been closed since May . in spite of appearance , it ’s been far too affectionate to do anything other than water , but as the nights get colder , more attention needs to be pay to the under - glass conditions . Good hygiene , light and ventilating system will help to block up fungal diseases from taking hold and vitiate your punishing work .
After this extraordinary twelvemonth of passion and drought , pots and container may look jaded . You have three choices – impart them alone and have their fading glory , replant them to give yourself a temporary autumn video display or skip flat to winter and replace them with spring flowering bulbs , fagot and wallflowers .
I get it sad that so many people conceive it ‘ biz over ’ for their garden by the end of September . A well - tended , carefully planned garden can be a joy to behold well into October . This year has been exceptional , so if you finger the struggle is already lost , commence to clear and tidy , realize space for bulbs , biennial and hardy annual . Bare earth is not an attractive sight and an invitation for weeds to colonize , so try on to have something contrive for when bottom and mete become vacant , even if it ’s a simple unripe manure crop like graze rye or winter vetch .
A stylish and well-equipped potting shed is a joy – now’s a good time to get yours in shape.
Any experienced gardener will tell you that fall is a wonderful season for planting . The dry land is warm , inviting plants to grow strong root systems before winter . fall atmospheric condition is also comfortable for gardening – neither too live nor too stale and not too soggy underfoot .
hedgerow trim continues this month , and with fall rain total the chance to move evergreens , re - seed threadbare lawns or sow new ace . By now , my garden has become very jungly , some might say unruly , with plants spilling and arc over paths and seating areas . I wish it that way , but if you favour your garden to appear tidy , there ’s nothing unseasonable with trimming here and there to keep thing neat and operational for a few more hebdomad . obviate being overzealous as birds and insects will appreciate the cover .
September is typically a month of harvesting . Everything is so advanced this year that it feels like the peak is almost over on our apportionment . Where we can , we are nurturing , feed and revitalising plants so that they keep crop for a while longer . Where that ’s not potential , they ’re being supercede by brassicas for leaping harvesting .
Potted plants clustered around our outdoor kitchen sink – photograph by Marianne Majerus.
When I think about my garden in September , the modest wanderer is the first creature that springs to mind . I am grateful that these prolific beast do n’t stimulate me anxiousness because they present a stark takeover every fall , inside and out . As I drop a line this post , I see at least three spiders from my desk . They go about their business , I go about mine , and we ’re all happy . In the garden , they make much mischief by crisscrossing every path and doorway with their inconspicuous World Wide Web . Rarely do I make it far without catch the gossamer threads in my hair . If you have n’t stop reading in horror , hold on to discover what other delights we might find in the garden this month .
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Categories : Bulbs , chrysanthemums , Container horticulture , Dahlias , Flowers , Foliage , Fruit and Veg , Garden Diary , House Plants , How To , Perennials , Plants , Practical Advice , Trees and Shrubs , weather condition
post by The Frustrated Gardener
Dahlias flourishing on our allotment in 2021. This year they are struggling with powdery mildew brought on by the drought.
All the shrubs and trees in our Gin & Tonic Garden are grown in pots.
This year’s tomato harvest includes ‘Banana Legs’, ‘Gardener’s Delight’, ‘Black Opal’, ‘Zlatava’ and ‘San Marzano Plum’.
Comma butterflies are one of the earliest and latest species to frequent our allotment.
A wonderful display of heritage apple varieties at the Chelsea Flower Show in September 2021
