Autumn is approaching fast, time for a tidy up in the garden. Try to gather any fallen fruit; a lot will have grubs in and will overwinter in the soil to reproduce in the Spring. Put them on the compost heap with the last of the grass cuttings to heat up and decompose. Tidy up any broken branches, I have several plum branches that were too heavily laden and broke under the extra weight. With the showers of rain the lawns are recovering well and will require cutting probably into November.
I never feed the lawn in Autumn, I think one weed and feed in Spring is enough. If you are lawn proud, then my regime will not be for you; I think feeding needs more lawn moving so I don’t do it.
Keep dead-heading roses and Dahlias; both will keep flowering until the first frosts. With the Dahlias you have to decide whether to leave in the ground or dig up the tubers and store them dry until next year. If leaving in the ground, it is best to mulch with three inches of compost as they will not survive the frosts otherwise. Any foliage from Dahlias will compost more readily if reduced in size by shredding or just throwing them on the lawn and running the lawn mower over them a couple of times. It is surprising how small an area they go into when chopped up. Needless to say, a rotary lawn mower not a cylinder mower!
Don’t forget it’s time to buy new bulbs and things like Amaryllis or Hyacinth for the home to cheer it up over winter, or as a seasonal gift. More on this next time. We’d also love to see you at our monthly meetings in the Villages Hall, Bishampton – it is always the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30. We offer a variety of speakers as well as evening trips and days out.
Any questions? Please do get in touch, all our details are online:
www.bishamptongardeningclub.org.uk or email [email protected]
Cheers, Pete Chamberlain, Chairman, Bishampton & District Gardening Club.
I never feed the lawn in Autumn, I think one weed and feed in Spring is enough. If you are lawn proud, then my regime will not be for you; I think feeding needs more lawn moving so I don’t do it.
Keep dead-heading roses and Dahlias; both will keep flowering until the first frosts. With the Dahlias you have to decide whether to leave in the ground or dig up the tubers and store them dry until next year. If leaving in the ground, it is best to mulch with three inches of compost as they will not survive the frosts otherwise. Any foliage from Dahlias will compost more readily if reduced in size by shredding or just throwing them on the lawn and running the lawn mower over them a couple of times. It is surprising how small an area they go into when chopped up. Needless to say, a rotary lawn mower not a cylinder mower!
Don’t forget it’s time to buy new bulbs and things like Amaryllis or Hyacinth for the home to cheer it up over winter, or as a seasonal gift. More on this next time. We’d also love to see you at our monthly meetings in the Villages Hall, Bishampton – it is always the first Wednesday of every month at 7:30. We offer a variety of speakers as well as evening trips and days out.
Any questions? Please do get in touch, all our details are online:
www.bishamptongardeningclub.org.uk or email [email protected]
Cheers, Pete Chamberlain, Chairman, Bishampton & District Gardening Club.