Don’t throw in the trowel in autumn (From Gazette & Herald)

Don’t throw in the trowel in autumn

1:44pm Wednesday 21st September 2011 in Gardening

BRIAN DEIGHTON, head gardener at Castle Howard, shares his tips in his latest monthly advice column for Gazette gardeners.

ONE thing we’ve learnt over the years here at Castle Howard is to plan for all eventualities. That’s why we’ll be busy this month taking as many cuttings as we can, just in case it’s a harsh winter and we lose plants.

Replacing plants lost over winter can be very expensive, so it makes sense to try to get some young stock coming along in the background.

We’ve had some very blustery, wet weather during the first week or so of September, which will have left many readers’ gardens looking rather the worse for wear. Don’t give up. The odd hour here and there deadheading can make a real difference to the appearance of a garden. Sorting out edges and continuing to cut hedges, as we talked about last month, can be all it takes to transform a messy-looking garden into a tidy one.

A good tip for this time of year is to make sure heating systems in greenhouses and conservatories are in working order. It can be so disheartening to lose a favourite plant if a frost comes before you’ve discovered the heater isn’t working. In a similar vein, now’s a good time to gather together any insulation materials you might need. Once the weather changes you need them to be already in place – not to be having to drive around buying them.

Now is a good time to split herbaceous plants. Not every one in your garden, but those that are well established and starting to overgrow their space in the boarder. It’s an excellent way of getting some free new plants. If your garden is full up, why not pass some on to friends or neighbours?

Tackling worn areas of the lawn is a good job for September. Autumn fertiliser can be applied, as can a last treatment of weed and moss killer. Fresh seed can also be sewn, giving it a chance to get established before the colder weather sets in.

Readers might be heartened to hear that we have had our disappointments here at Castle Howard. Everything doesn’t always come up beautifully. A lot of the vegetables have gone over to seed a lot quicker than they did last year. We’ve put this down to the very hot spring, but not such a good summer.

Another disappointment has been the wildflower areas we’ve sown. We’ve had more weeds than flowers, with this year’s conditions just not being right for establishing new meadows.

A success story has been an annual seed mix that we used in the rose garden called Bohemian Rhapsody. It has flowered beyond all our expectations and provided a really super show.

Talking of the rose garden, we continue to dead-head the roses and are especially vigilant at this time of year for diseases such as blackspot and rust. The moist and mild weather means that if it does take hold it can spread very quickly. Treat any signs of disease immediately and follow good plant hygiene practice such as raking fallen leaves off the rosebeds as soon as possible.

Over in the fruit garden keep an eye on the apples. One bad night of weather can have them all on the floor the next day. If they’re not gathered quickly the whole crop can go to waste.

There’s no need to throw in the towel, or rather shovel, at this time of year in the vegetable garden. Why not pop some winter lettuce and carrots under a frame or greenhouse?

Now is the perfect time to start planting out bulbs for next spring. Many people enjoy growing bulbs such as hyacinths for Christmas presents and this is the right time to start getting cracking with them.

Christmas; that’s a scary word when it’s still September. But that really is the secret of successful gardening; forever forward planning.