October Gardening Tips

-Rake up any fallen leaves
-Tidy ponds and remove pond pumps for the winter
-Plant evergreen shrubs
-Plants new climbers and perennials
-Dig over any empty area of soil
-Divide Rhubarb
-Plant tulip and lily bulbs

Feeding Wild Birds in the Winter

As the winter draws closer, it is time to start thinking about feeding birds during the cold winter months. As natural food sources are low in the winter, birds benefit greatly from you putting food out in the garden. Foods with a high fat content will help to give the birds extra energy. Sunflower seeds, peanuts, dried fruit and suet are all fat rich foods and will give the wild birds that extra energy boost. If you have a fruit tree in your garden try and leave some of the ripe fruit under the tree so that thrushes, blackbirds and starlings can enjoy a high energy treat! Don`t forget that birds still like to bathe and drink during the winter, so if possible top up water areas.

Planting Spring Bulbs

You will need to plant Daffodils and Narcissi before the end of September. Daffodils will look good planted in layers. Use a bulb planter or trowel to make a hole in the soil for your bulb to go in. Once the soil is removed, put your bulbs in. Cover these over and wait for the spring! You can plant some bulbs lower down, then cover over with soil and plant more onto and finally cover with soil. This will give a layered effect and make the area look fuller. There are many bulbs to choose from such as Alliums, Tulips and Hyacinths. Daffodils are popular and some of our favourites are Broadway Star, Ambergate and Tahiti.

Planting New Perennials

This is a good time of year to start planting new perennials. The soil will be moist and still warm enough for roots to establish before the cold of winter. Our garden centre has a wide variety of flowering and foliage herbaceous perennials to choose from.
Planting Step by Step
1.Dig a hole for the new plant and add bone meal to the bottom of the hole for root growth.
2.Soak the plants about an hour or so before you want to plant it.
3.Take the plant out of the pot, it may have become quite tight in there so you may need to tease it out.
4.Put the plant into the hole and fill the gap around it with soil and then firm the soil with your fingers.
5.Water the plant thoroghly again (half a watering can if the weather has been dry)
6.You may also put mulch, chipped bark or leaf mould around the plant to reduce evaporation from the soil.

Septembers Gardening Tips

- Start clearing up Autumn debris to prevent pests and disease over winter
- Aerate established lawns
- Net ponds to keep out autumn leaves
- Start feeding new trees, shrubs and containers
- Start to plant new perennials
- Give support to tall, late-flowering perennials
- Plant spring flowering bulbs
- Plant up containers with autumn bedding plants
- Plant spring cabbages
- Sow winter lettuce
- Continue to harvest apples, pears and autumn fruiting raspberries.

Osteospermum

Osteospermum are a popular perennial and look good in rustic or modern gardens. They love the sun and are evergreen. They flower from late spring to autumn and bear mauve-pink or magenta daisy looking flower heads. They have a dense mat of leaves which make good ground coverage. They grow to around 4-20 inches high and 20-36 inches wide. Grow in a sunny position in any well drained soil. Deadhead regularly to encourage new flowers and prolong flowering. If it is a particularly cold and wet winter they may not survive, to keep your cost down you can take cuttings from them at the end of summer and keep in a glass house or conservatory.

Around the Garden in August

There are many things that can be done around the garden in August. You should be aware of pests and diseases as the warm dry weather can encourage diseases such as mildew. Make sure plants are watered frequently especially if the weather is hot and dry. To try and keep slug damage to plants and flowers to a minimum, deter them by scattering slug pellets. Continue to weed the borders to keep them tidy and weed free. Continue mowing your lawns regularly applying a lawn feed that is phosphate based. Rambling Roses can now be pruned and deadheads can be removed from Roses.