What to do in your garden in Setpember

September is generally a cooler month than August, however it is starting off very warm and the forecast suggests it might be drier than August was. If you have been growing fruit or vegetables this year you’ll be kept busy harvest the fruits of your labour. Now is also the time to start planting spring-flowering bulbs for next year. Make sure you make the most of and sunny days and the remaining warmth while you can this month!

General

  • Divide herbaceous perennials
  • Harvest autumn crops
  • Collect seed from perennials and hardy annuals
  • Cover ponds with netting before the leaves start falling from trees
  • Reduce the frequency of houseplant watering
  • Clean out cold frames and greenhouses in preparation for autumn planting
  • Plant spring flowering bulbs
  • September can often be warm so remember to keep watering
  • Keep weeding as most perennial weeds are susceptible to weedkiller this month

Fruit & Veg

  • Harvest fruit and vegetables as they are ready
  • Dig up remaining potatoes before slug damage spoils them
  • Cover leafy vegetable crops with bird-proof netting

Greenhouse
This is the time of year to give your greenhouse and coldframes a good clean out. Once your tomatoes and other crops have finished, thoroughly cleaning your greenhouse helps prevent pests from making a home over winter. It also prepares the space ready for autumn planting.

Lawns

  • Reduce the frequency of mowing
  • Now is a good time to lay turf or plant seeds
  • Aerate and apply a top dressing
  • Trees, shrubs & Climbers

  • Clip hedges before mid September – leylandi, lonicera, privet, hawthorn, beech and yew
  • Prune climbing roses and keep deadheading those still flowering
  • Trim lavender bushes lightly with hedging shears. Don’t be too aggressive, if you need to get drastic, leave it until spring
  • Now is the time to plant or move conifers and evergreens
  • Bulbs & Flowers

  • Now is the prime time for planting spring bulbs
  • If you want indoor bulbs for Christmas plant before mis September
  • Bring tender perennials into shelter
  • Deadhead spent flowers to keep the garden looking tidy
  • Support tall flowers now before the autumn storms arrive
  • Summer Symmetry

    Take a look at this month’s planting design, a great design to smarten up your garden.

    Download a full size PDF here

    August – Rhodochiton Purple Bells

    Fantastic annual climber usually available from July, will flower until first major frosts can be overwintered in a greenhouse.

    Extremely beautiful rapid growing climber that starts flowering in June and continues until killed by frost. Delightful parasol-shaped fuchsia pink calyx with black/purple to crimson 2½in flowers within. Sunny pergolas, porches, walls. Flowers mid summer to autumn.

    Likes full sun.

    What to do in your garden in October

    Summer has been amazing and the mild weather continues into the Autumn this year.  Now is a great time to get your garden ready for the winter months ahead. Check out our tips on what you should be doing this month. As always, if you have any questions then feel free to post them on our Facebook page

    General

    • Conduct a thorough weeding at the start of the month to reduce work during the wet months to come
    • Plant herbaceous perennials
    • Remove any remaining annuals and plant out biennials and hardy perennials raised from seed
    • Thin out any dense patches of water plants in your pond and clean up any litter and leaves from the surface and bottom. Thin out oxygenating plants. Don’t forget to place a net over the pool to protect from falling leaves.
    • Spray cherries, peaches and nectarines
    • Plant out winter and hardy spring vegetables
    • Remove dead leaves, and remove any remaining annuals and summer bedding plants
    • Dress borders with bone-meal
    • Continue to weed and turn beds

    Lawns

    Autumn is a critical time in the lawn care calendar. Help to prepare the lawn to make it through the difficult winter months and ensure that your lawn looks its best come the Spring.

    • Repair damaged or worn areas of the lawn.
    • Autumn is a very good time to sow a new lawn from seed.
    • Treat mossy  lawns with an Autumn lawn feed and mss killer. Wait until the moss has turned black, (about 2 weeks) and remove the dead moss with a spring tine rake.
    • Adjust the cutting height on your lawnmower so that it cuts the grass higher.
    • Mow about once a fortnight until about mid October, depending on the weather conditions.
    • Recut the lawn edges with a half moon edging iron to create a neat finish.

    Greenhouse

    • Bring tender succulents under cover for winter
    • Empty begonia tubers from pots
    • Water plants more sparingly
    • Sow sweet peas for early flowers next summer
    • Line the inside of your greenhouse with bubble polythene
    • Check heaters are working

    Flowers

    • Plant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawns
    • Plant up patio pots for autumn interest
    • Lift gladioli, clean the corms and store them
    • Prune rambling and climbing roses, and shorten long shoots on standard roses
    • Move shrubs that are growing in the wrong places

    Fruit and Veg

    • Make a cross-cut in cabbage stems when harvesting
    • Sow broad beans for early crops next May and June
    • Put cloches over tender herbs like basil and coriander
    • Plant garlic and autumn onion sets
    • Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down
    • Finish pruning blackberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.

    A Stainless Century show garden

    A different format this month as we look back at the planting in the RHS Gold Medal winning ‘A Stainless Century’ show garden. The planting design is by Phil Hirst who of course designed the garden. We look at one part that you could take away and use together in a free draining border or raised bed.

    Download this as a PDF

    What to do in your garden in August

    Well July was a great month this year for being in the garden. August is, however, traditionally the hottest month so make sure you keep everything well watered, and if you’re going on holiday enlist the help of a neighbour to look after all your pots, hanging baskets and border.

    Last month was very hot and dry but this month has started off with more damp weather, helping the garden to really burst to life again. Keep an eye on slugs, snails and other pests that will feast on your plants and veg of you give them half a chance.

    There is lots to keep you busy this month so take a look at our August tips to help you make the most of your garden this month.

    General

    • Collect seed from flowering plants
    • Take cuttings of lavender, keeping them well watered until they form roots, usually by Autumn. They can then be planted out in the spring.
    • Keep bird baths and ponds topped up with water
    • Prune rambling and climbing roses after flowering
    • Pick off dead flowers to keep plants blooming
    • Cut fresh herbs to store for winter
    • Keep on top of pests
    • Keep ponds and water features topped up

    Fruit and Vegetables

    • Check your courgette plants daily and pick young courgettes before they get too big
    • Check your broad beans – if you can feel them inside the pods they are ready to pick
    • Sow and harvest salad crops – sow beetroot, chard, mizuna, pak choi, radicchio, rocket, spinach every few weeks.
    • Give tomatoes extra support as their trusses grow heavier and pinch out new growth
    • Remove fruits from congested clusters of apples to encourage larger fruit growth
    • Protect soft fruit from birds by covering with netting
    • Your potatoes will be ready now so check on their size and if they are ready – enjoy!
    • Plant out leeks
    • If any of your ripening fruit has brown rot on it – pick the affected ones before it spreads to rest.
    • Sow the last batch of carrots
    • Feed greenhouse crops once a week
    • Sow spinach for use as baby leaves in autumn
    • Lift onions and garlic and allow to dry before storing in nets

    Flowers

    • Deadhead roses and they will continue to flower for longer
    • Prune rambling and climbing roses after flowering
    • Collect ripe Foxglove seeds to sow straight away
    • Cut down faded delphinium and lupin flower spikes
    • Sow wallflower and forget-me-not seeds in seed compost
    • Order spring bulbs now

    Shrubs and trees

    • Trim topiary to shape with shears
    • Apples, plums and cherries – for better fruit production cut back new growth with secateurs to a couple of leaves from the base
    • Bush fruits – Remove old, fruited stems of blackcurrants and gooseberries, and cut back soft growth on redcurrants to 3 – 4 leaves
    • Prune Wisteria
    • Don’t delay summer pruning of restricted fruits

    Greenhouse

    • Carry on with many of the things you’ve been doing throughout July
    • Stand pots on capillary matting or gravel try system to reduce the amount of watering needed
    • Keep tomato compost wet, pay special attention to those being grown in bags
    • Open doors and vents early on hot or sunny days (we wish !)
    • Pinch off tomato side shoots
    • Sow calceolaria primulus, cineraria and cyclamen
    • Thin out congested bunches of grapes
    • Tidy the greenhouse and clean out cold frames in preparation for next month when you’ll start to bring plants undercover.

    Lawns

    • Remove lawn weeds – lever them out, use compost to fill the hole, sprinkle with grass seed then cover in compost before watering
    • Cut regularly
    • Feed lawns to encourage strong growth
    • If the weather is particularly hot and dry water lawns

    Pests

    • Watch out for fat, caterpillar like cutworm – either dig over the soil to let the birds at them or use a biological control
    • Slugs and snails can be a real problem in this wet weather. Try beer traps to control them.
    • Check for larvae on leaves and remove by picking them off or spraying with insecticide.

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.

    What to do in your garden in July

    Summer is definitely here now, and our gardens are bursting with life. If you’ve been growing vegetables and fruit then you’ll start to harvest the first of your crops this month.

    You will also have to work hard again this month to keep on top of weeds and keep a watchful eye out for slugs, snails and other pests that will feast on your growing plants and veg of you give them half a chance.

    Take a look at our July tips to help you make the most of your garden this month.

    General

    • Restrict the size of your woody trees by pruning
    • Tackle bindweed before it takes over – by either digging it our, smothering it with a membrane, weedkiller or hoeing
    • Pick off dead flowers to keep plants blooming
    • Help sweet peas to climb by tying leading shoots to supports
    • Cut fresh herbs to store for winter
    • Keep on top of pests

    Fruit and Vegetables

    • Check your courgette plants daily and pick young courgettes before they get too big
    • Check your broad beans – if you can feel them inside the pods they are ready to pick
    • Sow and harvest salad crops – sow beetroot, chard, mizuna, pak choi, radicchio, rocket, spinach every few weeks.
    • Give tomatoes extra support as their trusses grow heavier and pinch out new growth
    • Remove fruits from congested clusters of apples to encourage larger fruit growth
    • Protect soft fruit from birds by covering with netting
    • Early potato varieties will be ready now so check on their size and if they are ready – enjoy!
    • Bury blackberry stem tips and they will form new plants
    • Plant out leeks
    • Wrap celery stems in newspaper, then pile soil round them to exclude light

    Flowers

    • Deadhead roses and they will continue to flower for longer
    • Collect ripe Foxglove seeds to sow straight away
    • Cut down faded delphinium and lupin flower spikes
    • Pick off faded rhododendron and azalea flower heads

    Shrubs and trees

    • Trim topiary to shape with shears
    • Apples, plums and cherries – for better fruit production cut back new growth with secateurs to a couple of leaves from the base
    • Bush fruits – Remove old, fruited stems of blackcurrants and gooseberries, and cut back soft growth on redcurrants to 3 – 4 leaves
    • Wisteria – to encourage flowering and to stop rampant growth remove straggly new growth to 1 – 2 leaves from base
    • Cut out old stems and prune back to strong new growth once rambling roses have flowered.

    Greenhouse

    • Stand pots on capillary matting or gravel try system to reduce the amount of watering needed
    • Keep tomato compost wet, pay special attention to those being grown in bags
    • Open doors and vents early on hot or sunny days (we wish !)
    • Pinch off tomato side shoots
    • Sow calceolaria primulus, cineraria and cyclamen
    • Thin out congested bunches of grapes
    • Move plants to bigger pots if their roots have grown out to the edges of their old ones.

    Lawns

    • Remove lawn weeds – lever them out, use compost to fill the hole, sprinkle with grass seed then cover in compost before watering
    • Cut regularly
    • Feed lawns to encourage strong growth

    Pests

    • Watch out for fat, caterpillar like cutworm – either dig over the soil to let the birds at them or use a biological control
    • Slugs and snails can be a real problem in this wet weather. Try beer traps to control them.
    • Check for larvae on leaves and remove by picking them off or spraying with insecticide.

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.

    What to do in your garden in June

    At last the cold weather and frosts are behind us and the garden is bursting with life. June is an exciting and busy month with a seemingly endless list of things to do.

    You will really have to work hard this month to keep on top of weeds and keep a watchful eye out for slugs, snails and other pests that will feast on your growing plants and veg of you give them half a chance.

    Take a look at our June tips to help you make the most of your garden this month:

    General

    • Plant a summer hanging basket
    • Gradually lower the cutting height of your mower as grass growth increases
    • Spray roses showing signs of diseases such as blackspot, rust or powdery mildew
    • Apply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs it
    • Top up water levels in pools and remove water weeds with a net
    • Hoe borders on hot sunny days to remove developing weed seedlings
    • Continue watering anything newly planted until it has established
    • Treat problem weeds emerging in borders with herbicide
    • Lightly trim new growth on box hedging
    • Make elderflower cordial

    Vegetables / Fruit

    • Finish planting out vegetable crops, including tomatoes, beans, courgettes and sweetcorn
    • Sow a few seeds of salad leaves every 2-3 weeks
    • Use netting to protect developing and ripening fruits from birds
    • Tie in new shoots on blackberries, raspberries, loganberries and other cane fruits
    • Water gooseberries and strawberries to encourage fruits to swell
    • Thin out emerging raspberry canes if they’re too congested, leaving new canes about 15cm apart
    • Thin out congested fruits on apples and plums – the remaining fruits will grow far larger if competition is reduced
    • Sow seeds now: lettuce, rocket, spinach, beetroot, dwarf French beans, runner beans, radish, carrots, calabrese, mini-cauliflowers, spinach, chicory, endive, kohl rabi, peas, spinach beet, swede and turnips

    Lawns

    • Gradually lower the cutting height of your mower as grass growth increases
    • Weather permitting mow twice a week
    • Trim the edges and borders of the lawn for a neat and tidy finish
    • Apply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs it
    • If any bare patches appear simply repair them with a lawn restorer product

    Flowers

    • Use secateurs to remove suckers growing from the stems of standard roses
    • Tie tall border plants like delphiniums to their supports
    • Finish planting out dahlias, cannas and summer bedding
    • Cut back dead and dying foliage on spring bulbs
    • Deadhead camellias and rhododendrons after flowering
    • Train clematis shoots to their supports
    • Finish dividing hardy primulas
    • Prune early summer-flowering shrubs like philadelphus and deutzia once the flowers are over
    • Sow seeds now: wallflowers, sweet Williams, Canterbury bells and forget-me-nots

    Greenhouse

    • Increase greenhouse shading if temperatures inside are getting very hot
    • Take cuttings from houseplants
    • Damp down the greenhouse floor every morning
    • Water pots and growing bags daily
    • Set up a ‘watering bench’ using capillary matting to look after pot plants
    • Sow seeds of Christmas cherry (solanum) to grow as winter pot plants
    • Hang yellow sticky traps in the greenhouse to help control whitefly
    • Thin out heavy crops of peaches and nectarines, leaving remaining fruits about 10cm apart
    • Repot any houseplants that are pot bound

    Pests

    • Watch out for cabbage pests
    • Watch out for red lily beetle on the tips and leaves of lilies. Squash any you find, or spray with a suitable pesticide
    • Slugs can be a real problem now, particularly on hostas and salads – use good organic slug pellets, or if you want a more natural method try beer traps

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook page or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.

    What to do in your garden in May

    May is a very busy month in the garden with plants growing at a fast pace as the weather and soil warms up.

    Regular hoeing will keep the weeds at bay and remember to keep checking plants for signs of pest attack. Don’t allow aphids or slugs to get a hold but deal with them at the first sign of attack.

    Also, don’t forget to start feeding your beds, borders and veg patch for great results later in the season.

    There’s always something to do now – seeds to be sown, and weeds to be removed, so make sure you keep on top of the jobs that need doing. Here’s our May tips to help you:

    General

    • Beware late frosts and keep vulnerable plants and new shoots protected at night if there is a frost is forecast
    • Don’t be tempted to put out tender bedding until the middle of the month
    • Treat yourself to at least 1 great new plant before the best selection is gone
    • Water your garden regularly, even if rain is predicted
    • Now is the best time to start digging if you are thinking about having a pond
    • Clean bird feeders
    • Turn the compost
    • Hoe weeds
    • Prick out seedlings
    • Plant hanging baskets
    • Treat wood with a stain
    • Don’t forget to keep an eye out for those weeds and unwelcome pests in the garden.

    Vegetables

    • Continue sowing veg, particularly salad crops, little and often.
    • Harvest overwintering onions, early varieties of beetroot and radishes
    • Harvest asparagus – If you’re not picking asparagus, get some planted for next year.
    • Plant onion sets
    • Protect crops from late frosts with Fleece
    • Fertilize vegetable beds
    • Place straw around early strawberries
    • Sow Beans
    • Earth up potatoes.

    Lawns

    • Tidy up the lawn, and if required re sow patches that look bare or damaged.
    • Reseed any bare patches and keep watered. Don’t mow until the new grass has reached 2″ to 3″, then mow on highest setting at first.
    • Mow regularly, aim to keep a constant length now for the rest of the year.

    Greenhouse

    • Time to sow the bedding plants
    • Prick out any seedlings that are ready
    • Sow seeds in cellular trays
    • Train and prune bushy Fuchsias

    Pests

    • Wage war on slugs and snails – use pet-friendly slug pellets, drench the ground around hostas with liquid slug killer to exterminate slugs below the surface or invest in a biological control (nematodes deliver a lethal bacterial infection to slugs)
    • If you see snails pick them off….it’s up to you what you do with them.

    Herbaceous borders

    • Plant out sweet pea plants.
    • Clear out and compost spring bedding.
    • Support tall perennials to prevent damage
    • Deadhead spring blooming bulbs, but leave their foliage until it turns yellow.
    • Deadhead early spring flowers like pansies and primroses as the blossoms fade and begin replacing them in containers with warm weather bloomers.
    • Help your flowers grow by giving them a good feed.
    • Divide jam-packed perennials.

    Shrubs, trees, hedges

    • Check out spring flowering trees and shrubs while they are in bloom and make notes for future purchases.
    • Plant or transplant trees and shrubs before the heat of summer.
    • Protect blossoms from frost with Fleece
    • Water trees
    • Prune roses
    • Fertilise Roses and Shrubs
    • Trim and feed hedges.

    Need more advice? Post a question on our Facebook wall or pop into the garden centre and talk to a member of our experienced garden team.