Gardening Calendar
Gardening Calendar
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
JANUARY
January is when climbers, shrubs and trees are leafless and in their dormant period and one of the best gardening months for pruning any garden subjects that could cause problems during winter storms and high winds. Wisteria is a good example of a climber that can be pruned now. After flowering the previous season and given a summer pruning it produces long wispy new growths that need to be controlled by cutting back. Either summer or winter pruning and whichever plant or shrub you are pruning the first step is to remove any dead or damaged branches.
SEPTEMBER
Although September is the start of autumn, we can still be blessed by lovely, warm weather. This means your summer displays will go on flowering and looking gorgeous. But temperatures will start to drop and there’s always the chance of an early frost. Keep an eye on the weather and treat your plants accordingly, for instance, watering whenever necessary in dry conditions.
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Replace summer bedding with winter- and spring-flowering bedding, when it starts to go over.
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Start planting spring-flowering bulbs, such as daffodils, tulips, crocus and snowdrops.
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Cut back the flowering stems of perennials that are fading and dying down.
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Don’t be fooled by autumn showers – patio pots, planters and hanging baskets may still need watering.
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This is the perfect time to plant all manner of new trees, shrubs, climbers, roses and hedges.
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Continue to take stem cuttings of half-hardy perennials and patio plants, such as fuchsias and pelargoniums, to produce new plants for next year.
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Take hardwood cuttings of various shrubs, such as dogwoods, philadelphus, flowering currant and forsythia.
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Continue to deadhead summer-flowering plants to prolong their displays and provide colour well into the autumn.
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Divide overgrown or tired looking herbaceous perennials. This will invigorate them, improve flowering and make more plants.
Vegetable Garden:
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Plant overwintering onion sets to provide an early crop next year.
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Continue to feed tomatoes and other fruiting vegetables with a high potash liquid plant food.
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Harvest maincrop potatoes when the top growth starts to die down and turn brown.
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Cut out old, fruited canes of summer raspberries, blackberries and hybrid berries after fruiting and tie in new ones.
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Regularly pick all fruit as it becomes ready. Don’t leave it on the tree or bush to become over-ripe.
Lawn care:
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Autumn is a major time for lawn care, to get it back into shape and get it ready for the winter weather.
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Kill moss in lawns with a suitable mosskiller.
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Rake and scarify the grass to remove dead grass, thatch and other debris.
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Aerate compacted soil – especially clay soil – with a garden fork or a hollow-tine aerator.
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Feed the lawn with an autumn lawn food to build up its strength and harden it for the onset of colder weather.
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Now's a great time to start new lawns from seed or turf.
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Repair bare areas or those with a thin grass covering using grass seed or a lawn patching kit.
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Continue to mow the lawn if the grass is still growing.
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