September Gardens

lawn with water rill and pond reflecting clouds

During September you start to notice the nights beginning to draw in which always means less time to spend working, entertaining or just relaxing outdoors! That said though it’s still a good time to be doing jobs outside. It can also be a time for gales, so be prepared: ensure your plants, shrubs and trees are staked properly to avoid them getting damaged.

This is a great time to take cuttings from tender plants like fuchsias, harvest your fruit and veg, and go on, sprinkle a little TLC on your lawn!!

September is often considered ‘lawn care month’, a time when we reinvigorate them for next year by removing thatch, aerating and applying a top dressing. So, for those of you doing this for the first time here’s a quick guide how to do just that and have a fabulous lawn next year!

Removing Thatch

Thatch is basically moss and dead grass and by removing it, it increases air movement and drainage around your lawn which in turn helps to discourage the re-growth of moss. You can remove it either by using a rake or a powered scarifier. If you use a rake, beware it is hard work and pretty tough on your back. Be warned though, your lawn will look pretty awful after doing this but it won’t take long to recover!

Aerate

Your lawn needs to breathe and the more we walk on our lawns the more compacted it will become. All you need to do is push your garden fork into the ground about 6-7 inches deep and about 9 inches apart. This isn’t too bad a job (albeit a bit boring!) but if you have a big lawn you may want to consider hiring a machine to do this for you.

Top Dress

This job needs to be done as soon as you have aerated the lawn i.e. while the holes are still open. A tried and tested recipe is: three parts of sieved garden soil mixed with two parts of sharp sand and one part of garden compost.

Now sprinkle half - to a full inch of the mix onto the lawn and using a stiff brush or a broom spread it all over. This is to renew the upper soil layer. Again beware; your lawn will look really awful for a few weeks but the grass does grow though the soil again and will thank you for the TLC! Trust us!!

September Garden Jobs

As the nights start to draw in September usually sees gardeners working quick time to make the most of this super-busy month.

While there are still flowers to deadhead and plenty to harvest in the vegetable plot it is also a time of preparation. There are bulbs to plant to ensure a gorgeous display next spring. There are repairs to furniture and structures to do before the worst of the winter weather hits us. It's one of the busiest months in the gardeners' diary, and apart from looking after your lawn here are some other jobs to keep you going!

Start to consider your spring flowering bulbs (see our blog post for advice about plant designing with spring bulbs)
Continue to harvest your vegetables and fruit
Make any repairs to the greenhouse that are needed
Remove dead or dying summer bedding plants
Remember to be vigilant about garden hygiene
Put a net over ponds to stop leaves falling into it (before they start falling!)
Shelter any tender plants and if possible bring them inside or put in cold frames to overwinter them
For a splash of colour this winter buy new plants from garden centres, nurseries or just ask Blue Daisy - we can get them for you.
(Although it will be too late for some plants) to encourage more flowers, continue dead-heading to make it look tidier
Buy or make a compost bin if you don't have one already
Complete or repair any garden constructions like fencing or refelting your shed roof before winter sets in to take its toll
Empty and clean water butts with a garden disinfectant.

Orange and Purple for a planting scheme?

Orange and Purple for a planting scheme?

We’re loving oranges and purples together right now – to some it may sound a bit garish and not quite their cup of tea but you can get some fantastically striking looks and from some of our more commonly chosen garden flowers too, you don’t have to stray too far into the unknown to get some great effects (see the pictures for proof!).

Here at Blue Daisy we like this colour combination; it’s striking, it’s bold and a little bit out of the ordinary! These colours make you take notice, make you feel like you want to linger and really see how well they work together. Our favourite oranges of the moment are:

Helenium ‘Waldtraut’
Knipofia ‘Royal Standard’
Echinacea ‘Arts Pride’

And our favourite purples to go with the oranges above are:

Verbena bonariensis
Geranium ‘magnificum’
Geum ‘Prinses Juliana’

These plants all look lovely together so if you are going to give this colour scheme a try (or any other combination), do a bit of research before you buy. Ask yourself a few questions, for example what will grow best in your soil? How much space do you have? How long do you want the interest to last for? We also recommend digging your border and working the soil until its ready and then check the plant labels (or consult a good plant book or even Blue Daisy!) for the widths and heights of the mature plants you’ve chosen. It’s best to place the plants, still in their pots, onto the soil to make sure you’re happy with how they look and to check that they’ve got enough room and once that is done …. get planting!

The above plants will give you a fantastic display between June and October and all of the plants used are herbaceous perennials. They will give you a nice display in year one and an even better one in year two when they are more established.
If it is year round interest you want then you’ll need to think of broadening your plant types and incorporating shrubs and/or trees that flower or offer interest at different times of the year and don’t forget to account for height and structure too.
Go on, splash a bit of colour around!