WHAT TO DO IN EARLY SEPTEMBER

WHAT TO DO IN EARLY SEPTEMBER

  • Use osmo Autumn feed to harden up your plants for the winter
  • Continue to plant autumn vegetables
  • Prune old fruited stems of raspberries down to soil level
  • Pinch out tops of main shoots on outdoor tomato plants
  • Prune trained forms of fruit trees
  • Remove suckers from roses, shrubs and trees
  • Trim box hedging and topiary Prune rambling roses, removing shoots that have finished flowering
  • Plant conifers, shrubs and hedging
  • Tie tall chrysanthemums to supports
  • Plant autumn crocuses, sternbergia, colchicums, hardy cyclamen and nerines
  • Dig up hardy annuals if you don't want them to set seed
  • Pick ripe apples and store the best in fruit crates
  • Dig up strawberry runners and pot them up and Net autumn raspberries & blackberries to protect them from birds
  • Lift and dry main crop potatoes and store in paper sacks in a cool, dark place
  • Pot up a few herbs to bring into a porch or grow on the window sill
  • Sow broad beans and hardy peas for early crops next year
  • Check pears regularly to harvest when perfectly ripe
  • Vegetables to sow now include winter radishes, lettuce

In September the garden slows down, the fading heads of summer flowers just ghostly reminders of the brilliant colours that preceded them. The opportunities to increase your flower density in your garden at this time of year  are immense in fact this can be the most productive time to garden, an energetic weekend of bulb planting for example can provide you with flowers in as little as four months. Snowdrops, crocuses, daffodils and alliums will fill the garden from January to June.  This is also a great way to encourage the next generation of gardeners, since planting bulbs is child’s play. All it needs is some well drained soil, a few bulbs and a little patience. In September the soil is warm, so it’s perfect time to get plants in the ground, plants will benefit from an autumn planting and will grow much stronger. Here are my top 3 show stopping flowers of the month. Crocosmia, over a century of breeding has produced hundreds of crocosmia cultivars, and no late summer garden should be without their warmth of colour in shades of yellow, orange and red. The foliage alone is an asset to the garden as it’s sword like leaves remain fresh from spring to their late summer flowering, giving form to planting schemes. Sedums have the advantage of looking good almost all year round. The grey flower heads that form in summer are very similar to heads of broccoli and gradually over the season assume their true colour. The flower heads attract hordes of butterflies and many beneficial insects to collect their nectar. Anemones are a contrast to the sometimes unsubtle colours of late summer flowers. Although Japanese anemones will grow in moist shade or sun they always look happier in partial shade rather than full sunlight. Planted in a group around a small tree or with a background or shrubs, they will light up a shady corner.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: September
WHAT TO DO IN LATE SEPTEMBER

WHAT TO DO IN LATE SEPTEMBER

  • Plant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawns
  • Plant up patio pots for autumn interest
  • Lift gladioli, clean the corms and store them in a shed or garage
  • Prune rambling and climbing roses, and shorten long shoots on standard roses
  • Plant spring bedding, including wallflowers and forget-me-nots, among tulips
  • Net holly berries to protect them from hungry birds if you want them for Christmas
  • Make a cross-cut in cabbage stems when harvesting to encourage a further crop
  • Sow broad beans for early crops next May and June
  • Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down
  • Finish pruning blackberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries
  • Raise the cutting height when mowing the lawn
  • Apply an autumn lawn food
  • Cover ponds with netting to stop leaves falling in
  • Remove pumps and filters from ponds and water features
  • Line the inside of your greenhouse with bubble polythene and check if your heaters are working properly Plant new conifer hedges and evergreen shrubs
  • Ventilate your  greenhouse on warm days and scrub off any shading paint and wash the glass thoroughly

Autumn Lawn care. It’s often the case that the very thing that makes Ireland special is the very thing we take for granted. Ireland is known as the emerald isle wherever you go it is hard to find a place in the world that has so many luxurious shades of green. You even notice it more this time of year as our trees and shrubs change colour, our lawns will still retain their lush appearance. A well-maintained lawn is the backdrop and I would go so far to say the basis for a beautiful garden, September is the best time to sow a new lawn, prepare the ground well and be careful of over compaction with heavy machinery, choose the type of seed with care, they may all look the same but there is a difference worth discovering. The same can be said for autumn lawn feed, it is the most important time of year to feed your lawn, even more so than spring. The natural growth is slowing down, your lawn has been trimmed many times during the summer further reducing its vigour. We will also probably get more rain and if left unattended, it’s reasonable to expect a moss covered brown lawn by spring. What you want to achieve is a green lawn that doesn’t grow too quickly and an easy controlled moss accumulation next spring, it’s important to use the proper autumn formulation. I find ‘Autumn Osmo’ fits the bill perfectly and it doesn’t cost the earth and it’s Organic. There are numerous types on the market whichever one you choose, apply from now to late autumn and your lawn will be green with pride not envy.

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: September
WHAT TO DO IN MID SEPTEMBER

WHAT TO DO IN MID SEPTEMBER

  • Lift main crop potatoes when the leaves have died down
  • Pot up prepared hyacinth bulbs to flower at Christmas and put in a cool dark place
  • September is a good month to sow a new lawn or patch up an existing one
  • First early onion sets can be planted now for an early crop next year
  • Plant out spring cabbages
  • Cut back perennials past their best, compost as much waste as possible adding an activator to speed up rotting
  • Empty pots of faded early summer bedding, adding old plants to the compost heap
  • Keep picking summer-sown salads to prevent the plants running to seed
  • Plant garlic cloves outside or in modular seed trays ready to plant out later this autumn and cover herbs like basil and parsley with cloches, or bring potted ones under cover
  • Harvest globe artichokes and stake tall Brussels sprouts to stop them from blowing over
  • Dig up onions and lay them out in an airy space to dry before storing. Stringing onions is a great way of storing gluts, as you can keep a large number of bulbs in a small space. Hang them in a cool, dry, frost-free place - such as a shed - until you need to bring them into the kitchen. Leave your bulbs to dry out thoroughly before you string them, by laying them out and leaving them in the sun for a few days. If it's raining, lay them on trays in a warm, dry place, such as a shed or conservatory. Choose the best quality bulbs to store any that are damp and moist should be eaten straight away as they won't store well and will be prone to mould and mildew. They do look lovely strung up, but it is not necessary.  Onions store very well in plastic tray. Or as my mother used to do, put them in an old pair of tights if you want to hang them up.
  • Spread netting over ponds or water features to stop autumn leaves falling in

Autumn Jobs. Your crops are being harvested and some of the exuberant summer colour has faded from your borders but don’t be fooled into thinking that it’s all over until next spring. Autumn is a busy time in the garden, clearing away the decaying vegetation of the summer and preparing the garden for the cooler winter months ahead. Let the big clear up begin! Make sure that you lift those tender species such as Begonias, Dahlias, and Cannas before the first frosts threaten. Cut back the stems and gently lift the tubers/rhizomes from the ground. Clean the soil from them, dust them with a fungicide and store them in trays of dry compost or sand, with just the top of crown visible. Now is the perfect time to plant evergreen shrubs. Evergreens form the backbone of the garden, providing structure and year-round interest, so the more evergreens in your garden, the better it will look in winter. With warm soil and cooler conditions, autumn is the perfect time to fill those gaps in your borders. Sarcococca and Daphne will bring glossy green leaves and beautifully fragrant flowers in the depths of winter while the rest of your garden is dormant. For an elegant larger shrub try spring flowering Camellias or Fatsias for its large architectural foliage. Autumn provides an ideal 

January 17, 2021 — omearas gardencentre
Tags: September