MONTY DON has revealed three key jobs gardening fans should do in September, to ensure stunning blooms in the spring.
Summer may now be over, but there are still plenty of tasks to be getting on with, to ensure our gardens remain looking their best.
And gardening guru Monty Don has shared a simple task that it is essential to do now and requires little skill.
The Gardener’s World presenter revealed that the buds of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons are forming at the moment, so it is important to take care of them now to make sure they bloom in the spring.
Camellias, Azaleas and rhododendrons form their flower buds in late Summer and Autumn,” he said.
These three plants must be watered adequately, or their buds will not develop correctly.
Monty said: “The display they provide next spring is largely determined over the coming weeks.
“If they are too dry, the buds will not form properly and those that do often drop off in the Spring before flowering due to dehydration the previous Autumn.”
He added that it is more beneficial to use rainwater, especially for potted plants.
“Give them a good soak – with rainwater if at all possible – especially if they are growing in a container, and do so each week for the next couple of months”, Monty explained.
The gardening pro added that there are some bulbs which can be planted now, to ensure that they bloom in the spring.
However, he noted that the ground is too hard for them to be planted straight in to, so recommended planting them in pots instead.
Monty said that the bulbs he plants at this time of year are crocus, daffodils, reticulate irises, muscari and scillas.
It is important to plant these plants now as they flower earlier.
Monty said that a terracotta pot is perfect to plant your bulbs in.
With September starting, so does autumn, and The Sun's Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine has a few tasks to keep you busy as the summer sun winds down.
1. Starting thinking about Spring bulbs
Its early bulb time! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fratillaries for something slightly different.
2. Remember the bees
Make sure you’re still looking after the bees with autumn flowering pollinators – like sedums, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
Maincrop potatoes are ready to dig up – make sure you get them all so they don’t get slug damage.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start to reduce the amount of mowing you do. GIve it an autumn feed, especially if you didn’t get round to it in Summer and start to rake to remove thatch.
5. Plant out new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take salvia cuttings
It’s as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and chucking it in a glass of water to see if it sprouts roots. Especially with tender Salvias which wont survive the winter.
7. Keep camelias well watered to make sure that buds form next year.
8. Keep on deadheading and watering your hanging baskets
They should keep going until the first frosts.
9. Get pumpkins Halloween ready
Remove any leaves shading pumpkins to make sure they’ll be ready for halloween – and make sure you keep watering them, they’re very thirsty.
10. Check on your pond
Net your pond to stop it filling with fallen leaves when the trees start to drop.
“A few crocus in a small pot can cheer the darkest February day”, he said.
Mix your compost with grit to allow good drainage, put your plants in a sheltered position, and then move them into the sun when you see new growth.
Another task that Monty recommends doing in February is deadheading plants regularly.
Deadheading means removing the dead flower heads of a plant, as well as pruning flowers to the next leaf.
Monty added that this is an ideal time of year to either sow or turf new grass or to repair patches and worn areas on your lawn.
The gardening guru explained that this is the perfect time of year to repair damaged or worn spots on your lawn.
“If it is just a worn area of thin grass, rake away all thatch and moss and remove all weeds and thinly scatter grass seed, watering well and keeping it damp. The seed should germinate and grow in days,” he wrote.
You should also avoid mowing for roughly one month, and if it does need a tidy up use shears to give it a trim instead.
For larger areas, the pro suggested a sharp spade or fork to clean up messy new growth.
And if you do sow any new seeds or lay new turf make sure you avoid walking on it, as well as mowing, until it’s “growing vigorously” as this is a sign of established roots.
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