After the summer we’ve had, most gardens are looking a bit tired by September. Lawns are brown, borders have gone over earlier than usual and plenty of plants have had a hard time in the heat.
Hopefully September brings some cooler weather and a bit of rain with it. There’s still plenty to do outside this month, and it’s a good time to get the garden back into shape without being too keen to tidy everything away.
Help the garden recover
If your lawn is looking more brown than green, don’t worry too much. Established grass will usually recover surprisingly quickly once we get some decent rain. There’s no need to keep watering it.
Borders and newly planted trees and shrubs are worth keeping an eye on though. Even after a shower, the soil can still be very dry a few inches down, so give anything that needs it a really good soak rather than watering little and often.
Once we’ve had some rain and the ground is properly damp again, add compost or mulch around plants to help keep the moisture in.
Keep picking
September is often one of the best months in the veg garden.
Keep picking courgettes, runner beans and French beans while they’re still producing. Tomatoes should carry on ripening for a while too. Removing some of the lower leaves will get a bit more light around the fruit and help with airflow.
Maincrop potatoes can be lifted this month as the foliage dies back. Pick a dry day if you can, let the potatoes dry for a few hours after lifting and then store them somewhere cool and dark.
If you’ve ended up with the usual glut of courgettes or tomatoes, now’s also a good time for making chutneys, sauces and anything else that will make use of them before they go over.
Sow a few things for autumn
There’s still time to sow.
Spinach, rocket and winter salad leaves can all go in now. A greenhouse or cold frame will keep them going for longer, but a sheltered spot outside will work while the weather stays mild.
You can also sow hardy annual flowers such as cornflowers, calendula and nigella. They’ll get themselves established before winter and should flower earlier next year than a spring sowing.
Start planting spring bulbs
Spring bulbs will be arriving in garden centres now, and September is a good time to start planting daffodils, crocus and alliums.
Plant them in pots, borders or through grass, and don’t be too precise about it. Bulbs nearly always look better planted in decent-sized groups rather than dotted around individually.
Hold off on the tulips for now. They’re better planted once the weather and soil have cooled down later in autumn.
Leave a bit behind
It’s tempting to have a big clear-up once summer starts to fade, but there’s no need to cut everything back.
Keep deadheading dahlias and other plants that are still flowering, but leave some seed heads and spent stems standing. They’re useful for birds and insects and can look really good as we get further into autumn.
After such a hot, dry summer, September is really about seeing what’s done well, helping everything else recover and making the most of what’s still growing.
And if the rain finally arrives, we might even get the lawn back.
