Gardeners’ Diary Autumn

SEPTEMBER

Plant cornflowers ready to bloom in spring

Deadhead dahlias to encourage further flowering until the first frosts. Deadhead roses to encourage a late-season flush and tie in whippy growths on rambling roses to bear next year’s trusses of flowers. As gaps appear in beds and borders, sow hardy annuals such as nigella (love in the mist) and centaurea (cornflowers) to bloom in spring. Plant new perennial plants while the soil is still warm to enable them to establish a robust root system during the winter months in readiness for spring.

OCTOBER

Cut back shrub roses to prevent damage over winter

Lift tender dahlias touched by the first frosts. In milder areas, on well-drained soils, consider leaving them in the ground, top dressing with a thick protective layer of mulch. Cut back and tidy cottage garden perennials, adding them to the compost heap. Leave grasses and seed heads to feed winter birds and to shelter overwintering insects. On frosty mornings they look stunning in the low winter sunshine too! Plant biennials now, such as sweet-scented stocks and Foxgloves for vigorous statuesque plants to carry masses of flowers early in the spring. Prune and tie in climbing roses now, cutting shrub roses back by around half to prevent damage from wind rock.

Craven&Valley Life Autumn 23