This is the busiest time in the gardener’s calendar, and the time when the bones of next year’s display are laid down. The soil temperature is warm and the air damp – perfect conditions for new plantings and for moving plants around. If time is short, at least go out and note down things that you want to change and maybe mark them with bamboo canes or write down notes in a book. You have until potentially early November to get the bulk of the work done before the frost set in.
Many people get very active with the pruning now, but this is in fact not the best pruning time. All the early flowering shrubs should have been pruned straight after flowering in early June, and many of the later flowering shrubs should not be pruned until late winter next year. Pruning stimulates growth, but new growth is much more susceptible to frosts which is why it is prudent to hang back where possible. If you really do need to prune because shrubs are overhanging pathways etc, do it as soon as possible. Nine times out of ten you will be fine but it’s a gamble with early frosts! On the other hand it is a little early to prune trees and roses which should be done when dormancy has set in and the leaves have dropped.
This is different from ‘cutting back’ which is the removal of the dying top growth of herbaceous perennials such as geraniums, potentillas, lupins etc. While there used to be a big rush to get the garden tidied and ‘put to bed’ for winter, new awareness of wildlife requirements has put the brakes on this. Where possible we should leave habitats standing to encourage the overwintering of invertebrates and hedgehogs etc. On the downside this can be an issue where bulbs are planted and the emerging growth is covered by the previous year’s detritus. I tend to tread a cautious path between removing very unsightly growth which has got soggy and slimy, and leaving other parts until early the following year. This also allows me to feed the soil, a very important process if you want good growth for next year. Lashings of rotted manure will do the trick very nicely.
This is however very much the best time to divide overgrown perennials – those clumps of heleniums, asters, geraniums etc, which have outgrown their allotted space in life. Cut the top growth back to the ground, then dig them up and put a sharp spade through them, or put two forks in the middle back to back and push apart. You can treat tuberous plants such as peonies and dahlias the same way, just making sure each divided part has a big enough tuber and growth spathe. If the various clumps have died out in the middle, then just keep the bits around the edges, otherwise, replant or give away your spare divisons, taking care to water them in well.
It is not too late to sow sweet peas for next year. Sown now and kept in a frost free place such as a cold frame, and regularly pinched out, these will flower earlier and be significantly stronger plants than those sown in spring.
Outside the garden, it is the time for hedgerow foraging. Blackberries and bilberries are in abundance, as are elderberries. These make a fantastic syrup which has proven antiviral qualities and is packed full of vitamin C but more to the point is delicious drizzled on yoghurt or made into a hot drink in the winter. There are masses of recipes on the internet and it is dead easy. Word of warning though – don’t eat the berries raw as it will result in stomach upset.
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