September and with autumn just around the corner the late summer blooms of Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ light up the borders and make a winning planting combination with asters, ornamental grasses, crocosmia and the bee friendly sedums, all easy to grow and come into their own as everything else is beginning to fade.
It’s a good time to see if there are any gaps in your borders before the other herbaceous perennial plants completely die back for the winter. They can be divided now and used to fill the spaces ready for next year. Late September is perfect for any new planting; the soil is still warm and less dry than in midsummer. The garden centres will have some perennial plants in their sales now, a great time to buy them. You will still need to water new planting regularly.
The days are getting shorter and the leaves will soon be falling, so it’s a good idea to protect your ponds with netting or mesh, this can save you the unpleasant task of dragging rotting leaves out later!
September is the month to sow a new lawn and much cheaper than turf, good for filling in any bare patches in an existing lawn too. It is easy to do, prepare the soil well by removing large stones and weeds, fork over and rake level to leave a fine finish. Firm the soil by walking over, then rake again. A few days before sowing lightly rake in a granular fertiliser. Sow approximately 50g of seeds per m2, or follow the instructions on the box, lightly rake again and keep well watered. Make sure no one walks over it for a few months.
Have fun in your garden this month whether you are busy planting, sowing a lawn, tidying up or just relaxing in the late summer sunshine - enjoy!
Sally Bishton Garden Design
www.sallybishton.com
Garden writer for www.seekernews.co.uk
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