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In your ornamental garden in September

September does not have to be the end of summer. Even though many plants will be past their best by now, some care and general maintenance will keep the gardening flourishing often into October. This is also the time to take a long hard look at your garden. Be brave and ruthless! If plants have not performed well, it’s time for them to go, and be replaced by something more rewarding.

Things to do in the ornamental garden this month

Keep the garden performing well

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Hedges and lawns 

Give hedges a final trim this month. If you leave the trimmings on the ground tucked under the hedge, they will provide excellent winter shelter for a whole range of wildlife. Now is the time that creatures such as hedgehogs and frogs are looking for hibernation sites. A thick pile of hedge trimmings is perfect.

Lawns don’t need feeding now, but they will benefit from some work. They can become very compacted during the summer.
Use a lawn rake to clear out any thatch. Then aerate the whole lawn. It’s easy to do if you hire a machine for the job. And if you have neighbours with lawns, you might be able to share the costs of a days’ hire. Trials have shown that spiking with a fork is not only REALLY hard work, but doesn’t get down deep enough. Use the machine built for purpose. The best ones take out a core of soil, leaving holes into which you can brush a soil conditioner. If you have plenty of leafmould, that is perfect. On large lawns, you can either choose to treat just part of the lawn where activity has been greatest.

If your lawn is mossy, then that is a symptom of an underlying problem. Compaction, cutting too short, poor drainage, heavy shade, all of these conditions will encourage the development of moss. Often, just aerating, brushing in a conditioner, and raising the cutting height is enough to get rid of moss. No need for chemical treatments at all.

Pests & Diseases

Before bringing plants in to the house or greenhouse give them a good check over for pests. Warm conditions under cover will allow pests to overwinter easily.

Summer flowering geraniums (Pelargoniums) and bedding fuchsias can be cut down to one bud when you bring them in. Keep them frost-free, and in a well-lit, airy spot. They’ll slowly regenerate during the winter months. They need to be kept just moist during winter.

Easy perennials for September

Ice plant (Sedum spectabile) is a wonderful showy autumn perennial. Flowers are in a range of red and pink. Leaves are usually a grayish green, but some have a burgundy tinge. Butterflies adore this plant and will cluster in huge numbers to feed now and next month. The dried seed heads make excellent food for birds in winter.

Chrysanthemums come in all shades and heights, and make a fantastic display this month. They can be grown from seed, usually in spring. They make a stunning splash of colour in the garden, and look wonderful alongside asters.

Grasses are at their peak now. Miscanthus especially is in its prime. ‘Silberfeder’ is particularly dramatic with reddish/brown flower heads up to 8ft high. In winter the plant turns a silvery brown and still retains interest. Its tussocky base is a good overwintering site for wildlife.

Asters are good hardy perennials and very easy to grow. There are many to choose from and even some that will flower from now till mid December. They brighten up any garden as the evenings draw in and are ideal for attracting beneficial insects into the garden late in the year.

Check out the September 2010 website archive on Ornamentals.  You’ll find extensive details about aster varieties.

Ponds

Pond

Early September is the perfect time for tidying up garden ponds. Hibernation has not yet started, so you won’t disturb creatures that have settled in for the winter. Ponds need to be managed, and a clear out every 6 years or so is often beneficial.

Leave all plant remains in a pile by the side of the pond for the time being. This allows creatures caught up in the strands to crawl back to the water.
Now scoop out the ‘gloop’ that will have collected at the bottom of the pond. This will be rather revolting black sludge, a mixture of rotted leaves and pond waste, as well as anything that’s blown in. Get out as much as you can, but leave some behind as it will be filled with water creatures.. You may find some frogs! Just pop them into a bowl/bucket of water with a bit of pond plant and a brick so they can shelter or climb up. 

Need inspiration?

Why not visit a garden near you? See what they are growing at this time of year. Check out their best autumn plants and get ideas for your garden.

 

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