Time to prepare the garden for autumn
Don’t be down as the new season has so much to give
Suddenly it’s all change in the garden and greenhouse, fallen apples and plums are strewn beneath their respective trees, overnight temperatures are plummeting to single figures, and spent plant growth is begging for attention.
The great autumn clear-up and transformation starts here.
We’ve still plenty of floral attractions in evidence, but there are three fading plants highly favoured by pollinating insects that are foremost on my agenda.
At first glance, groups of lavender, of which we have several, look to have flowered themselves to a standstill, but close inspection reveals the movement of bees extracting nectar from remaining florets. So, we let them dictate the time to prune – tidiness can wait a while. When that does come, say early October, all spent flower stems plus a small amount of this year’s growth can go. But remember, lavender does not take kindly to cutting back into the old wood.
Groups of oregano are a different matter altogether. They’ve been mobbed continuously by various bee and butterfly species throughout summer but are now abandoned, not a bloom in sight. Unlike lavender, this is an herbaceous perennial, so it’s time for action with the hedge clippers, removing all growth at soil level. This very useful plant lends itself so easily to propagation via division and with dormancy fast approaching, this is a reasonable time to act.
There’s always a fleeting tinge of sadness when these three summer stalwarts stand down to rest a while but that’s immediately compensated by the appearance of seasonal newcomers and existing plants with staying power that entertain until frost arrives.
Mesmerising Michaelmas daisies are illuminating our borders right now alongside Helenium (sneezwort), and the bulbous autumn crocus (colchicum) is flowering as if there were no tomorrow. And where would an autumn display be without two front-of-border icons – Sedum spectabile and Cyclamen hederifolium?
Add to this the continuing performance of rudbeckia, echinacea, cosmos, dahlias and lavatera, in collectively offering a dazzling array of colours that will continue until the first serious frost.Never feel down because autumn’s arrived. It has so much to give.