Welcome to my wonderful world of horticulture. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to share my enthusiasm for painting with plants.
I hope to inspire you to try something new or expand what you already know and grow.
There is no magic or mystery about gardening that cannot be learned; old men in sheds would like to think that only they know the ‘proper way’ to do things, but we know different, we are inspired and inspiring women and many well known gardeners and designers are female, and techniques have moved on to a better and greener place.
Some of the chemicals the old boys used to use were lethal – to humans – as well as pests and diseases and are best consigned to history.
Here we are in September and I expect a lot of you are thinking, thank heavens, sling the mower in the shed, light the fire and think about Christmas. In fact autumn is the beginning of the gardening year and the season when so much preparation takes place which will pay huge dividends in the spring and summer.
September is a good time to go round the garden with a camera and/or notebook and identify areas which could be improved and decide what to keep or discard. After the frosts have turned all the top growth to brown stalks you will not be able to remember what you planned to do. You can also attach plastic plant labels to plants with comments such as ‘exterminate’, ‘move back, forward or sideways,’ This activity will also identify what you need to do in terms of plant supports. If your beautiful lillies keeled over and bloomed on the floor, it is no good trying to hoist them up by the neck, much better to put supports in whilst they are small.
Consider your tender plants. E.g Agapanthus, Phygelius, Salvias. Dahlias can stay in the ground if planted deeply and mulched with compost, leaf litter, bracken or similar or you can dig them up after the first frost, wash clean, dry, wrap in newspaper and store in a dry, frost free place. I know which I would do!
Anything tender in pots need to be put in either in a sheltered corner by the house or in the greenhouse if you have one. If they are too heavy to move, make them a warm jacket with wire netting and straw, do not use plastic, it sweats. It is cold and wet that kills many pot plants, dry cold is not so bad.
September is a good month to think about bulbs for next year. Buying bulbs from a reputable online supplier is much cheaper than small bags from the garden centre. Choose your daffodils, tulips, alliums, crocus and lillies and also how about some prepared hyacinths and paper white narcissi for Christmas presents. Simply pot up in multi purpose compost, noses of bulbs just showing, and store somewhere cold and dark, protect from rodents, keep moist not soggy. When green shoot starts to appear, bring into light but keep cold. When flower bud appears bring into a cool room about Christmas or New Year. Provide support for flowers, twisty willow is good.
September is your last opportunity to cut hedges so cuts can heal over before frosts can do damage.
Grass still keeps growing when the temperature is above 5 degrees C so the occasional cut stops it getting long and shaggy. Scarifying, getting out the dead grass works wonders, best to use an electric one as doing it by hand may be good for the waist but is not much good for the rest of the body. The grass will look dreadful but an autumn feed – one without too much nitrogen- will perk it up
Happy Gardening
Caroline