Please add image or text logo
Here is our monthly round-up of news, tips and ideas to make the most of your garden this September!
This month marks the start of the hazy transition from summer to autumn. The days are getting shorter, the evenings cooler — perfect for cosy gatherings around the firepit or chimenea, enjoying the last al fresco evenings of the season!
September is also ideal for planning ahead – tackling gardening jobs that will save you time next spring.
Keep your garden looking and performing its best with these important tasks:
• Preserve your timber – Think about preserving and protecting timber buildings, fencing and furniture with a fresh coat of preservative.
• Plant spring flowering bulbs – Tulips, daffodils and all other spring flowering bulbs can be planted in September and all the way through to November.
• Tidy up strawberry plants – Cut off the old leaves, leaving just the youngest in the middle. Weed the plant, looking specifically for fruit debris, which can harbour fungal disease spores and damage the next year’s crop.
• Divide and replant herbaceous perennials – Division of plants is most successful when the plants have stopped flowering and are not in active growth.
• Stop feeding container perennials – To discourage weak growth, cease feeding any perennials you are growing in containers.
• Save bean seeds for sowing – Leave French Bean pods on the plants until they go brown and dry, and then cut them off. Open the pods to inspect the beans – store the good beans in an envelope until next spring.
• Cover late vegetable crops – Use cloches or horticultural fleece to cover late crops of vegetables, such as carrots and salads.
• Pot up herbs – Put herbs like basil, coriander, and parsley into pots to bring under cover.
• Plant wildflowers – September is the perfect time to sow and plant wildflowers, which benefit the larval stages of many pollinators.
• Remove dead leaves – Use a rake to keep borders and lawns free of dead leaves. Collect them to create leaf mould.
Visit one of our centres to pick up essential gardening tools!
September is the ideal time to start filling your logs stores, ready for the colder months.
The hot summer has meant exceptional drying conditions for our air-dried logs, with moisture content as low as 15%!
Stock up now and take advantage of our three hot offers on firewood – available from Brigg and Midgley. Call now to arrange your delivery*.
Click here to view our helpful guide on choosing the right firewood logs for you.
*to our normal delivery zones
• Turnips – If sown in September, turnips will mature quickly – perfect if you want a crop to grow in time for Christmas.
• Onions – Seeds planted in autumn will throw out an early crop next year – get a head start so you can hit the ground running in spring!
• Peas – Make sure you pick a hardy winter variety like ‘Meteor’ if you want to sow peas in September, to ensure they survive the cold.
• Radish – There is still time to get a radish crop this year, as they will grow within a few weeks of being planted.
The Woodland Trust’s annual vote to crown the UK’s Tree of The Year has officially begun!
This year’s contest is a celebration of the role trees have played in our cultural history, shining a spotlight on those that serve as local landmarks across the UK.
The winning tree will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year competition!
Voting is open until the 19th of September, and the winner will be announced on the 26th of September.
Find out more and cast your vote here.
Log stores are a fantastic way of keeping moisture levels low to ensure efficient burning – stock up now and keep your firewood neat and tidy while it seasons!
Our Heritage, Midgley, Stocksmoor and Wortley firewood storage options are stylish additions to any outdoor space and provide an attractive way of letting the ageing and drying processes take place naturally.
We can also create bespoke log stores tailored to your exact measurements.
View our full range here.
Each year, The Soil Association hold their month-long Organic September campaign, aimed at promoting and celebrating organic living across the UK.
This year’s theme is “Nourishing your gut garden” – exploring the link between healthy soil and healthy food.
Find out how to get involved here.
Did you know that our Woodland Walk is on Wakefield Council’s wellbeing initiative, ’50 Things To Do Before You’re Five’?
Woodland Wondering is important for a child’s development, and your children can explore and discover exciting nature, wildlife and adventure in our Midgley woodland!
You can also enjoy refreshments from the Little Acorn coffee stop, our converted vintage horse box that serves a delicious range of drinks, cakes, ice creams and snacks.
Plant these bulbs now to ensure your garden bursts with vibrant colour next spring!
• Galanthus elwesii ‘Beluga’ – This rare variety of Snowdrop will provide a crisp white backdrop, perfect for highlighting the vibrant colours of accompanying plants.
• Iris ‘J.S. Dijt’ – These bulbous perennials produce pendent petals of a rich purple hue with flashes of yellow.
• Primula veris ‘Gold Nugget Red’ – Primula veris are often the first to flower in an early spring garden, producing vibrant red flowers with bright yellow centres.
• Cyclamen coum ‘Album’ – The white form of Cyclamen coum, the ‘album’ grows a delicate white flower with a violet centre and almost silver foliage.
• Thymus ‘Silver Queen’ – This sweet, lemon-scented herb grows in the form of a dwarf evergreen shrub, with dark green, edible foliage.
Fruits for crumbles, jams, preserves and winter tipples!
• Apples & pears
• Quinces, medlars
• Plums, damsons
• Autumn raspberries
• Perpetual strawberries
• Figs
Vegetables for salads, soups and pickles.
• Tomatoes
• Salad crops
• French & runner beans
• Courgettes, cucumbers
• Peppers
• Sweetcorn
• Onions & shallots
• Marrows, pumpkins & squashes
• Globe artichokes
Compost: Transform Waste into New Life by Charles Dowding
Compost is free to make, and, with guidance, simple to perfect. Why not learn from the best?
Available from Amazon here.
“By all these lovely tokens, September days are here. With summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.”
– Helen Hunt Jackson
Sales and advice 
01924 830055
