THE end of summer is on the horizon and now could be the perfect time to prep your garden for autumn and winter.
A gardening expert has revealed the 10 jobs you should do in September to get your plants ready for colder weather.
Chris Bonnett, founder of GardeningExpress.co.uk, said: “Now is the perfect time to give your garden a head start and prep it ahead of autumn and winter.
“After such a dry summer, one of your key focuses should be your lawn.
“Now is the time to replant and replenish with fertiliser and seed.
“Combined with the upcoming rainfall, lawns will readily restore themselves over the next season.
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“It’s also a good idea to start moving more delicate plants inside before the temperature drops.”
Here are the 10 jobs to do in the next month…
1. Return Tender Plants Indoors
Before the temperature starts to get any colder, return any houseplants that you moved outside during the summer months back indoors.
2. Prune, Tidy and Weed
Now is the prime time to tidy up summer flowers and sort out the remains of any summer fruits.
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If you are growing roses and they’ve finished flowering then now is the perfect time to prune them too.
Take the straw out of your strawberry plants and trim any messy raspberry plants too.
3. Divide herbaceous perennials
Dividing perennials means that your plants can keep performing and it’s important to do this when the soil is dry.
Place a fork in the centre of the plant and gently move it back and forth to separate the plant.
Repeat to divide into more sections.
4. Collect and sow seeds from perennials
You can collect seeds by cutting open flower heads with a sharp pair of scissors.
Once collected, clean the seeds and leave them to dry completely for around a week before planting.
5. Trim Hedges
While the days are still long, get out in the garden and shape your hedges so that they remain nice and neat throughout autumn and winter.
This will also prepare them to evenly distribute the weight of any potential snowfall.
6. Install Water Butts
Place some water butts in your garden to collect rainwater this coming autumn and winter.
Recycling water is not only sustainable, but couldn’t be more straight-forward.
If you already have water butts installed, clear out the current rainwater in preparation for the upcoming wet weather.
7. Refresh the Lawn
Keep your lawn healthy after it has no doubt been well-trodden over summer.
Rake the lawn, re-seed any bare patches and use a feed or fertiliser that is rich in potassium.
This is the perfect time to take action as autumnal weather is ideal for establishing a healthy lawn.
8. Plant Shrubs
Take advantage of rainfall and mild temperatures this season by planting shrubs, these weather conditions will help to establish themselves much more easily.
9. Plant Autumn Vegetables
Perhaps even visit your allotment so that you can plant hardy winter greens, turnips, beetroots, and kale.
This simple preparation will guarantee some delicious Sunday roasts and soups in the coming months.
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10. Plant spring bulbs
September and October are the best times to plant spring bulbs for the following year as the temperatures will have cooled.
Planting now will ensure a beautiful display in time for spring.
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