Autumn is a busy time in the garden, with clearing away summer bedding and preparing the garden for the winter months ahead. Here are some hints and tops from CMA Garden Design with a gardening ‘To Do’ list for autumn.
1. Remove greenhouse shading to maximise light available to any plants you’ll need to overwinter. Disinfect all surfaces to remove grime and pests, sweep flooring and replace any damaged or broken glazing. Now is also a good time to wash out pots and seed trays so they’re ready for next spring.
2. Any remaining summer annuals and bedding can be cleared away and composted to make way for winter bedding. Cut back and divide perennials – although some have wonderful seed heads so it’s worth not being too tidy and keeping a few for structure and to provide an extra source of food for the birds (and now is the perfect time to put out your bird feeders if you haven’t done so already). Top dress cleared borders with a thick layer of compost, bark or other organic material.
3. Save seeds of any plants you wish to propagate for next year, particularly useful if some plants don’t survive the winter.
4. Tender plants such as dahlias should be lifted and potted up for overwintering in a frost-free environment.
5. Rake up leaves, dead grass and moss from lawns and improve winter drainage by aerating the whole area with a garden fork and brushing in a sandy top dressing. Apply autumn lawn feed (or weed and feed) to give your spring lawn a head start. Leaves can either be composted or bagged up to create leaf mould if you have sufficient space.
6. If your garden lacks structure, now’s the time to choose and plant some evergreens to give your garden year-round interest and colour. Some will even reward your efforts with fragrant flowers during the winter months.
7. Now’s the time to plant bulbs for a spring display; these can be planted directly into the ground or into tubs and bowls so you can site them to best effect once they start to flower, and replace them with something else once they’re past their best.
8. Clear all the debris from your pond and make sure falling leaves don’t build up by laying a fine gauge mesh across the pond to catch leaves before they have a chance to decompose in your pond, clogging the filter.
9. Check, clean and repair any garden tools and consider getting your mower serviced ready for next year.
And when you’ve finished, sit back with the seed catalogues and get planning for next year’s summer display!
If you are considering a redesign for your garden why not contact CMA Garden Design on 01252 664029 for a no obligation discussion and to find out about their fixed price design service.
