Monty Don reveals the gardening chores you need to do before autumn arrives
MONTY DON shared an essential task gardeners need to do now to ensure plants survive the winter.
The 69-year-old Gardener’s World star revealed that autumn is the perfect month to dig up and move plants before the cold weather sets in.
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Monty suggested that perennials should be moved to a sunnier spot in September so that they grow better in the spring.
The gardening icon explains: “September is a good month to move perennials.
“If you do this when they are in full bloom, you can clearly see how they will look in their new location and how they relate to the other plants around them.”
Moving perennials at this time of year allows their roots to establish before winter, allowing them to grow more vigorously. next year.
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An example of a herbaceous perennial is a peony or a larkspur.
These plants die each year, but grow again in the spring.
Gardeners should prune the plants back after moving them to allow them to recover from the disturbance.
Monty said: “It’s a good idea to cut them back so the plant can rest and recover from the trauma of being uprooted.”
Moving perennials isn’t the only job gardeners have to do this September.
Monty explained that the buds of camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons are forming at the moment, so it is important to start taking care of them now so that they will flower in the spring.
Camellias, azaleas and rhododendrons form their flower buds in late summer and fall,” he said.
These three plants must receive sufficient water, otherwise their buds will not develop properly.
Monty said: “What they do next spring will largely be determined in the next few weeks.
Garden work in September
As September begins, so does autumn. Veronica Lorraine, gardening editor at The Sun, has a few jobs to keep you busy as the summer sun fades.
1. Start thinking about spring bulbs
It’s early bulb season! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fragillaries for something a little different.
2. Think of the bees
Be sure to continue to feed the bees with fall-flowering pollinators such as stonecrop, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
The potatoes from the main crop are ready to be harvested. Make sure you harvest them all so they are not damaged by slugs.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start reducing the amount of mowing you do. Fertilize it in the fall, especially if you didn’t get around to it over the summer, and start raking to remove thatch.
5. Plant new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take cuttings of salvia
It is as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and throwing it in a glass of water to see if roots develop. Especially with delicate Salvias that do not survive the winter.
7. Give camellias enough water so that buds will form again next year.
8. Keep removing faded flowers and watering your hanging baskets
They must continue until the first frost.
9. Make pumpkins Halloween-ready
Remove any leaves that are covering the pumpkins so they are ready for Halloween. Also make sure to water them regularly as they are very thirsty.
10. Check your pond
Cover your pond with a net to prevent it from filling up with fallen leaves when the trees start to fall.
“If they are too dry, the buds will not form properly. The buds that do form often fall off in the spring before they flower, due to the drying out in the previous autumn.”
He added that it is better to use rainwater, especially for potted plants.
“Give them a good dose of rainwater if possible, especially if they are growing in a pot. Do this every week for the next few months,” Monty explains.
The gardener added that there are a number of flower bulbs that can be planted now so that they will bloom in the spring.
However, he noted that the soil was too hard to plant them directly in, so he recommended planting them in pots.
Monty said that the bulbs he plants at this time of year are crocuses, daffodils, reticulated irises, muskrats and scillas.
It is important to plant these plants now because they will flower earlier.
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