On the border
11:30am Saturday 6th September 2008
We’re sick of the rain and sitting outside has been hopeless this summer, but Gina Parkinson finds that the garden doesn’t seem to mind.
GARDENS are falling into autumn now September is here and summer seems to have passed by unnoticed.
We have hardly sat outside at all this year. Deckchairs have had an occasional airing, but they have not been left out for days, which my nostalgic mind seems to remember we have done in past summers.
However, September is a lovely month in the garden and despite the rain and dull, grey days, late-summer plants have been unbothered by the non-appearance of deckchairs.
In fact, our garden has been better than ever this August and looks like it will carry on the good work for several more weeks. The beds are packed with dahlias, rudbeckias, Michaelmas daisies, hydrangeas and helenium, not forgetting the achillea and fennel, grasses and verbena bonariensis.
Oh, and the Japanese anemones, spirea and late roses. All this in a fairly small border in a compact city garden.
These late summer borders need a fair amount of care to keep them looking tidy and to encourage the production of a constant supply of blooms. The work isn’t heavy or arduous, but it needs to be constant. A few moments every day can make a big difference to how long the plants can keep performing.
Deadheading is the number one job.
Plants flower in order to make seed for the next generation of the species, but deadheading stops this process and tricks them into making new blooms for more seeds to replace those that have been removed.
Many plants respond well to this treatment including, at this time of year, dahlias, heleniums and pelargoniums and even shrubs such as spirea.
Other shrubs, however, such as hydrangeas, won’t produce new flowers and are best left intact, with dried spent blooms providing winter interest when everything else has died back.
The rule I have worked out for myself is this. Deadheading can be used on plants that produce new blooms very quickly and that are already showing signs of this growth before deadheading is done.
Dahlias, for example, often have miniature buds forming at the base of a flowering stem some time before the bloom has finished.
By the time the old flower is cut back, the new one is ready to spring into growth. Pelargoniums usually have new shoots at the base of the plant waiting for the chance to straighten up and expand.
The other job that might be necessary in an autumn garden is staking.
The weather can be windy towards the back end of the year and bloom-heavy plants can be broken in breezy gusts. It can be tricky to get into a packed bed and put in unobtrusive stakes, but it is worth the effort to keep the plants safe for a few more weeks.
I find individual stems secured to their own cane seems to work and look better, rather than gathering all the stems of the plant together and tying them to one stake.
The individual method is more time consuming but it is easier to keep the plant looking natural.
Weekend catch-up
WHILE September is a month for keeping the garden going just that little bit longer, it is also a time for planning ahead and especially for thinking about spring.
Spring bulbs are beginning to appear in nurseries and garden centres and can also be bought online or from mail order catalogues.
The benefit of buying from shops is that you can check the health of the bulbs before buying. They need to be large, firm to the touch and with no signs of mould or premature shoots.
Most can be planted straightaway, daffodils in particular need to be planted as soon as possible. The exception is tulips, which should be left in a dry cool place and planted in November or even December, depending on the weather.
The benefit of buying bulbs from a mail order catalogue is the large choice of species and varieties available. Bear in mind those popular varieties both from catalogues and shops sell out quickly.
Horticulture show
THE Ancient Society of York Florists holds its September horticultural show today at Askham Bryan College, from 11am to 3pm.
Plants on show will include chrysanthemums and dahlias as well as vegetables, pot plants, floral art and baking. Light refreshments will be on sale. Admission is £1 and there is plenty of nearby free parking.
Gardening TV and radio
Sunday, September 7
8am, Radio Humberside, Gardening Phone-in. With Blair Jacobs and Doug Stewart, telephone number 01482 225959.
9am, Radio Leeds, Gardening with Tim Crowther and Joe Maiden.
2pm, Radio 4, Gardeners’ Question Time. This week Pippa Greenwood, Anne Swithinbank and Chris Beardshaw help gardeners in Hampshire with their horticultural problems. Anne and Chris also discuss greenhouses in the garden and the gardening weather forecast is at 2.25pm. Peter Gibbs is in the chair.
Friday, September 12
8.30pm, BBC2, Gardeners’ World. Toby Buckland takes over as the main presenter, backed up by regulars Carol Klein and Joe Swift. This week he familiarises himself with his new terrain and tackles the jobs that the inevitable march into autumn brings in the garden.