Seven gardening jobs to do before September for a ‘blossoming’ garden next year
August is coming to an end, which means it's a great time to get on top of the garden before the autumn months ahead.
Despite the weather being somewhat warm this year for areas in the UK, overall it hasn’t been the best for the garden.
Muggy and wet weather opens the gateway for weeds to grow as well as pests such as slugs to invade the garden.
Luckily the team at Barnsdale Gardens have offered a variety of jobs to do now before September arrives.
1. Discourage slugs
The experts said: “In wet weather, slugs and snails become very mobile, so make sure you protect your young and soft-stemmed plants in the productive area and ornamental borders.
“At Barnsdale, the team use either wood ash in a band around susceptible plants or organic slug pellets.”
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2. Keep on top of weeds
Not only do weeds use up the valuable resource of water in the soil, but they also harbour pests.
The experts recommended keeping on top of weeds in August by hoeing or pulling them out as often as you can.
3. Cut back scruffy perennials
The pros explained: “Some of the early flowering perennials will start to look tatty and distract your eye from the really good looking plants merrily flowering away.
“The spent flower stems can be removed and any scruffy leaves can be cut back hard. The leaves will re-shoot with a fresh look.”
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4. Cut back herbs
Herbs can become woody and untidy towards the end of summer, giving little leaf to use when it comes to cooking.
The experts noted: “By giving them a good haircut it encourages them to burst back into growth giving soft, aromatic and tasty leaves.”
5. Plant spring flowering bulbs
There is a wide range of spring bulbs that when planted at the end of August will give an “excellent flowering display” next year and beyond.
Gardeners can sow flowers including primrose, feverfew, field cornflower and forget-me-not.
6. Harvest raspberries
Keep on top of harvesting any of your crops, including raspberries with maincrop and autumn both producing at the moment.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on tomatoes, as well as picking and plucking the side shoots to extend the flowering season.
7. Prune apples and pears
The pros continued: “Now is the time to prune back this year's shoots on established trees.
“This ensures the production of more fruiting buds and directs all the tree's efforts into producing a good crop of well-sized fruit. Cut back shoots to three buds, usually leaving 2.5cm.”
Following all of these tips will ensure a “thriving” and “blossoming” garden next spring and summer.
