Don’t hang up the trowel just yet – this month’s full of quiet garden jobs that pay off in spring, from bulbs to buds to blooms
September can be a busy time in the garden – some jobs extend flowering while others will begin setting you up for next year:
- Regular feeding and deadheading really help to keep the displays going, especially the roses, dahlias, fuchsias and perennials.
- Divide herbaceous perennials, this helps invigorate them.
- Start collecting seed from any plants you want to grow next year – especially good for this are foxgloves, aquilegia, calendula, poppy and love-in-a-mist. Aquilegia seeds are an easy job, the seed pods rattle when they are ready to harvest. They can be scattered immediately after gathering too – simply sow them in a shady spot if you need some colour there, or collect them for sowing in the spring. To store them, put them in a dry spot in the shed until required for sowing.
- September is an ideal time to order next year’s spring bulbs – as well as daffodils, try some colchicum and Madonna Lilies.
- Trim lavender plants to keep them compact.
- Divide clumps of bearded iris now to ensure they get established again before the winter weather arrives.
- Most perennial weeds are best dealt with now, while the weeds are in active growth. Digging out is often the best method if you are trying to avoid using weed killers.
Pruning wisteria
Prune your wisteria three times a year to keep it in check – this will help ensure you get lots of magnificent flowers each spring.
The first pruning is carried out in the middle of summer after flowering, usually in July or August.
The middle September prune is the lightest: try to reduce the new, long green, whippy shoots back to just five or six leaves. This is an important prune to keep your wisteria at a manageable size, and to encourage a better display of flowers. It’s also an opportunity to tie in any new growth that can be used to replace old branches.
The main third pruning is done over winter, generally in January or February. Pruning while the plant is dormant and leafless makes it easier to see where to cut. Working around the plant, reduce the shoots that were shortened in summer to just two buds. This encourages the production of flower buds and ensures that the flowers won’t be obscured by leaves.
