gardening tips for Autumn

juniper hibernica (ornamental grape with Irish Juniper)

Text Box: Autumn is a wonderful time of year for gardening, which is lucky as it’s always a race to get everything organised for winter. Most things can wait of course, but there’s nothing like that feeling of accomplishment that accompanies being prepared – all too rare in my case I should add. I can’t bear to be in the house at this time of year, and find myself guiltily doing just one more thing in the garden when there’s a mile of washing to collect and dinner to cook. Scarlet foliage on our ornamental grape is the first sign of autumn. It usually appears in March but sometimes a long dry spell delays things until April. Ornamental grape leaves stay around for weeks, unlike those of Virginia creeper which seem to collapse disappointingly quickly, no doubt because I’m failing the plant in some way. It probably needs more water than I can spare. Raking leaves from grass prevents it from turning yellow and once the weather turns cold, it takes for ever to recover. I used to rake acorns too, but then a colony of king parrots discovered them, an example of ecological control of which I’m highly proud. Our oak tree is big so the parrots take weeks to clean up, but there’s nothing nicer than watching birds dispose of acorns. Apart from the decorative aspect, there’s the satisfying feeling of knowing that they’re sparing you from the tedium of having to get rid of the things yourself. I’ve counted over 20 parrots in our oak tree on some days. Visiting my neglected propagating corner reminds me of a hundred cuttings that need taking now so there’s the usual chaotic hunt for polyfoam boxes, coir peat and potting mix. I try to take cuttings of deciduous shrubs as soon as their leaves are off, leaving evergreens until next month. But it doesn’t matter really, the important thing is to have plenty of plants motoring along – remember a group of shrubs is usually more effective than a singleton, alone and palely loitering. A Spring flowers can be sown in autumn. You can always fork out for punnets later in winter, but it’s lovely growing your own and you don’t feel so guilty if you lose things. If the whole seed thing freaks you, try sowing easy flowers like cornflowers, linaria, English daisies and Virginia stocks straight into the ground. order this winter. Buy some vermiculite and sprinkle it over the surface so you remember where you sowed things, this makes watering far easier. Be sure to thin your little hopefuls out as they emerge so they don’t become tangled and stunted. Wedding is a pressing job after the first fall of autumn rain. Couch grass has made hideous inroads into all my borders, deliberately embracing plants with similar leaves, like carnations, or ones covered in vicious prickles like rugosa roses. Intertwined with it is a little medic that looks innocent but has tenacious roots that are nearly as hard to eradicate.

Text Box: The best way to dig out these horrors is to track them down to their tips and then dig back towards the source. If I start at the edge of a bed and dig inwards I always seem to snap the roots off before I’ve reached the end and the rest you know. You may have to resort to spray if you’re managing a big garden. Do it now, before bulbs start emerging, as by then it’s too late for another season. Adding red vegetable dye to spray helps to use it economically, it’s easy to see where you’ve been and you avoid the temptation of giving something just one more hit. Don’t worry if it splashes onto paving, the colour soon disappears. The best spray for grassy weeds is Fusilade, as it only kills members of the Graminae or grass family so is quite safe to use among broad-leaved plants. Unfortunately it’s now only available from agricultural suppliers - maybe share with some friends, or suggest to your Garden Club to buy and share. If your lawn is listless, autumn is a good time to rejuvenate it. Yes, I know, no-one needs a lawn but nearly all of us have one, and autumn is as good a time as any to give the poor thing a bit of attention. Dig out any lurking dandelions or thistles, or spray with lawn weeder, which kills broad-leaved plants but is harmless to grasses - the opposite to Fusilade. Give the grass a good raking to eradicate thatch (lurking dead grass) and throw around some fertiliser high in phosphorus and potassium. Then raise your mower blade a notch or two. Lawns are like us, they need a break occasionally or they collapse from exhaustion. Our lawns were weeded for us this year by the dry weather, and Bill didn’t add top dressing, just sowed straight onto the brown grass, together with a bit of fertiliser. Everything sprang to life after the rain and now looks quite respectable. Autumn is a good time to get things into the ground. You can move plants too; I’ve just dug out and replanted some dark blue ceratostigma (C. plumbaginoides – I wish someone would invent a common name for this plant) to make a low hedge, and it flowered merrily throughout. Ceratostigma is one of my top plants, tough and hardy, with bright blue flowers that go with anything, and good autumn leaf colour. I often think autumn roses are the best, and their scent seems stronger than ever. Pinky gold hybrid-tea ‘Brandy’ is good for cutting too, as it has extra long stems. Head for rose gardens and nurseries over Easter, and note special favourites to order this winter.

Gardening Tips