How good has this growing season been??? just when I thought I should get the hoses out again Mother nature does it for me, perfect warm rain.
Autumn should have taken a couple of steps back after being revitalized but colours are changing and leaves are falling as they should be after such a warm summer.
My garden is really tired and bedraggled now so cutting back is the only way to smarten things up and get plants and shrubs to push new growth and colour out before the first frosts. Petunias and begonias get knocked back after rain but if you have the time to dead head and cut back to new growth they will recover in the warm autumn sun. I have many new seedlings to plant out once gardens are trimmed back and cleared of annual weeds. I cut back what is there flowering and add the annuals that will take over once those flowering now are pulled out. Stock, statice, snapdragon, wall flower, and Iceland poppies are my fillers. I am still collecting and storing seed on dry days, have managed to collect a great stock of lavatera and delphiniumn seed, the lavatera I will save until spring but the delphinium has been sown and once up will sit making strong roots until planted out in spring.
Roses: Keep the rose dead heading up to encourage the last blooms of summer, it is 6 weeks from a prune to another bud which will take us into April, after that flowering it is best to not dead head, leave blooms to make seed which will help to harden wood for the winter ahead. Pruning and feeding then will encourage new soft growth so no feeding from now on either.
Compost: I got a bit desperate for potting mix while potting up so have been adding compost to the peat mix, my ready heap needs to be emptied to make room for all the leaves to come. The other heaps are breaking down well with the heat and rain, I need to add manure and a little lime now while they are cooking.
March is defiantly a great planting month with the soil warm and the nights and mornings cooler, newly planted trees and shrubs settle in well. There are a lot of well grown trees, shrubs and plants on offer right now in Garden centers ready and waiting to be planted. Gardner's further inland will need to read the labels to establish frost ratings before buying, if in doubt wait until spring.
Spring bulbs can be planted now. If you have not already done so break up really large clumps as they tend to double in size with out you noticing and in no time a garden bed can become choked, looking attractive only in spring and dull for the rest of the year. I have often been asked the reason for spring bulbs not flowering after the first couple of years from planting, the problem can be over crowding, lack of adequate light as trees become larger and throw more shade during summer, but the most common problem is bulbs may not have not been planted deep enough. Spring bulbs need to be planted 4 to 6 inches deep, that's 4 to 6 inches on top of the bulb, if not planted deeply eventually when they do come into leaf and experience a dry patch during this time they wont take up enough moisture to come into bud.
Rake mulch off bearded iris rhizomes they need to e exposed to the sun for a baking now.
Layer carnation stems by pinning the center of the stem down under the soil while still attached to the mother plant with the flower end still exposed, roots should form along the buried stem. Once rooted cut from the mother plant and pot up to grow on before planting out in lime sweetened soil. This layering method can be applied to many herbs, plants and shrubs.
Lawns.
After those baking hot days and a lot of mowing lawn growth starts slowing down from now on although, catchers will still be filling up for a while yet but don't feel you need to cut lower than usual because growth has slowed, a scalped lawn dries out faster and encourages weeds. Still the best time to sow new lawns while weed growth is slowing. The flat weeds I do come across now I pop out with the blade of secateurs before they seed and spread.
Fruit: Late peaches, quince, apples, apples, apples and so many ways to use fresh apples, black sauce ( just like the bought one) have just made some, stewed apple, apple jelly, apple and quince jelly, apple pies, apple sponge, apple shortcake. Pick them, peel them and freeze them or the birds will get them.
Vegetable Gardens will be growing new crops for the cooler seasons, leaf veg should not bolt so readily now and will not mind the days getting shorter and cooling and root veg seeds will germinate well while the ground is still warm. Second sowing of peas will be up, corn is picked and the pumpkins have out grown their space and just keep going, pumpkins can be picked before the first frost. Onions can be lifted once leaves have bent over, don't bend or damage leaves before they are ready to bend naturally if you want them to store and keep well. Once dug lay them out in a warm place to fully ripen then store in a cool place. Root veg seed should germinate quickly in warm/moist autumn soil.
Cheers Linda
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