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Here is our monthly round-up of news, tips and ideas to make the most of your garden this September!
September marks the start of the transition from summer to autumn. The days are getting shorter and the evenings cooler but it is also a season of abundance and colour!
Keep your garden looking and performing its best with these important tasks:
• Preserve your timber furniture, fencing and buildings – think about a fresh coat of preservative or even a new colour from our range of stains and paints
• 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 – see our detailed “Strawberries in September “article below
• 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.
Visit one of our centres to pick up essential gardening tools!
September is the month to give your strawberry beds some proper attention. A bit of tidying up now makes a real difference to how well your plants crop next summer, so it’s worth setting aside an afternoon before the weather turns.
Here’s what to do with your strawberry plants this month:
• Remove old, tatty foliage. Cut back any yellowing or diseased leaves to tidy the plant and reduce the risk of fungal problems like grey mould overwintering in the bed.
• Deal with runners. If you don’t need new plants, snip off any runners so the parent plant puts its energy into next year’s fruit rather than spreading itself thin. If you do want new plants, peg a few strong runners into pots of compost to root.
• Clear away straw and old mulch. Remove any straw or mulch used to protect fruit from the soil during summer, along with fallen leaves and plant debris, to keep pests and disease at bay.
• Weed thoroughly. Strawberries don’t compete well with weeds, so give beds a good weed now while it’s easier to see what you’re doing.
• Feed and mulch. A light feed with a potash-rich fertiliser helps strengthen plants for winter. Once fed, apply a fresh mulch of well-rotted manure or compost around (not on top of) the crowns.
• Check plant spacing and renew old beds. Strawberry plants are usually most productive for two to three years. If your bed is getting congested or plants are past their best, September is a good time to plan a new bed for next season.
• Net if needed. Birds can still take an interest in late fruit, so keep netting in place until you’ve cleared the last of the crop.
A little maintenance now means healthier plants and a better harvest come next summer.
September is the ideal time to start filling your logs store, ready for the colder months.
The hot summer has meant exceptional drying conditions for our air-dried logs. Stash a delivered load away now to take advantage of the low moisture content.
Click here to view our helpful guide on choosing the right firewood logs for you.
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.
• 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.
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.
The Woodland Trust’s annual vote to crown the UK’s Tree of The Year has officially begun!
A tree may be a village’s oldest inhabitant, a much-loved local landmark, a place to meet, play or exercise, or a gardener’s pride and joy. Whatever their story, Tree of the Year aims to highlight and appreciate how vital trees are for our landscapes and our lives.
Voting is open until 5pm on 29 September and we’ll announce this year’s winner in October.
Find out more and cast your vote here. (https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/british-trees/tree-of-the-year/)
Each year, The Soil Association hold their month-long Organic September campaign. It invites everyone to try organic and see the difference it can make. From protecting nature and wildlife to supporting high animal welfare and healthier soils, organic farming shows there’s a better way to produce food
Find out how to get involved here. (https://www.soilassociation.org/support-us/take-action/organic-september/)
September produces a fantastic bounty both in garden and hedgerows – so everyone can share in the joy of picking fruit, harvesting veg and enjoying the fruits of their labours!
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
Both our centres are open over the Bank Holiday Weekend!
Our West Yorkshire Centre will be open over the bank holiday weekend, on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Why not visit our Woodland Walk and Nature Trail – it’s the ideal place for a family visit.
The Little Acorn coffee stop will also be open, serving a delicious range of drinks, cakes, ice creams and snacks.
Our Brigg Centre will be open on Saturday and Bank Holiday Monday with displays of decking and garden furniture for all your landscaping and fencing needs!
Here are the full bank holiday opening hours:
Midgley
Saturday 8.30 am – 5.00pm
Sunday 10.00 am – 4.00pm
Monday 8.00 am – 5.00pm
Brigg
Saturday 8.30 am – 5.00pm
Sunday Closed
Monday 8.00 am – 5.00pm
We look forward to seeing you soon!
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Fair orchard trees wave their fruit-laden arms,
And nature smiles in her Autumnal charms.
~John Askham, “September”
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