GARDENING CORNER
AUTUMN

The garden always seems to change overnight at this time of year – one moment we are enjoying late summer colour, and the next the air is fresher, the mornings mistier, and the apples are tumbling from the trees.

​

September is a month for harvesting and tidying. Gather your fruit and veg while they’re at their best – there’s nothing like a basket of home-grown apples or a late flush of runner beans. Keep deadheading dahlias and roses to stretch their season a little, save seeds from your favourite annuals for next. There are also some hardy annuals and perennials you can sow now. This will mean that you won't see a huge amount of green growth over the winter but the roots will be getting stronger meaning you will have much taller stronger plants for next year. You can then do a second sowing in the spring, providing you with a longer season of flowering blooms.

​

By October, it’s time to think ahead. Plant daffodils, tulips, crocuses and hyacinths now for a cheerful display in spring. Hardy annuals like sweet peas can go in the ground too – they’ll reward you with earlier flowers next summer. Don’t forget the compost heap: fallen leaves are worth collecting, as they’ll rot down beautifully into leaf mould.

 

And finally, a word of warning – our mild North Somerset autumns mean slugs and snails don’t give up easily! Keep an eye on young seedlings.

 

Autumn gardening is all about preparing for promise – the effort you put in now will bring plenty of colour and joy when spring rolls round.

 

​​​​September Tasks

• Harvest time: Apples, pears, plums and late raspberries are at their best now – keep an eye out for windfalls. Surplus fruit can be stored, frozen, or turned into chutneys and jams.

• Deadhead and tidy: Keep dahlias, roses, and cosmos flowering a little longer by snipping away faded blooms.

• Seed collecting: Collect seeds from hardy annuals such as nigella, calendula, and love-in-a-mist to sow again next spring.

• Lawn care: Early autumn is the best time to aerate and feed your lawn – the soil is still warm, and rain helps new grass establish.

 

October Tasks

• Plant spring bulbs: Daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths planted now will bring a welcome splash of colour next year. Tulips are best planted towards the end of the month.

• Autumn sowing: Hardy annuals such as cornflowers and sweet peas can be sown now for an earlier display next summer.

• Tidy borders: Cut back faded perennials, but leave seed heads of echinacea and teasels – the birds will thank you.

• Composting: Clear fallen leaves regularly and add them to a leaf-mould pile – they’ll break down into excellent soil conditioner.​​​

 

The Lower Failand Gardening Club holds regular meetings, if you are keen to join, please do contact Carriemlomax@gmail.com

​