We might still be in the throes of summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare yourself or your garden for the autumn planting you’re about to do. Autumn actually plays a hugely vital role in ensuring that you get the best growth come springtime. So if you want to start planting now, then you need to hold off for at least six more weeks. This is my Autumn to-do list for your garden and I would love to know if you have anything else to add.
Planting your garden in the autumn is one of the best things that you could do to have a flourishing one for next year.If you’ve already attempted to do this before, then you know that your garden is going to flourish when it comes to springtime. So let’s take a look at some of the things that you should put on your list to have an autumn garden that is vibrant and healthy.It takes planning and action to get it there, so let’s take a look.
- Plan what you want to plant. Buying your yellow rattle seeds now is a great idea so that you can get a jump on autumn. You need to have a list of what you actually want to plant so that you can plan your garden effectively. Are you somebody who likes to have some uniformity in their garden? If so, you may want to plan where everything’s going to be planted. You also need to consider planning for hiring a landscaper or somebody to come and do a clean down of your patio and your decking if you don’t have your own pressure washer.
- Start removing all of the leaves. All of the leaves that have already fallen onto your autumn garden and lawn need to be moved to the compost bin regularly. If you’ve got younger kids, pay them to get out there with a pair of gloves to pick the leaves up or use a rake yourself to get it done. Raking the leaves up and putting them in the compost bin to use as a mulch in the garden bed will really be helpful. A leaf mold, as it’s called, is rich in nutrients and it’s going to be really beneficial for the soil in your garden feeding the new plants you want to grow.
- Plant any flowering bulbs. If you want to have a stunning spring garden then it’s now that you need to start Planting flowering bulbs. Think hyacinth, iris, daffodils running equally freezers, crocuses, anemones. All of these can be planted now. Choose a spot with lots of light, some well drained soil and keep all of it out of sight. After flowering in the warm areas, chill hyacinth and Tulip bulbs in the fridge for around two months before you start to plant. If you’re going to be planting flowering bulbs, make sure that you’ve prepared your soil adequately.
- Trim all of the hedges and plants. Before the onset of winter, you need to trim your hedges down if you want to keep them compact and bushy from ground level. Pruning can actually stimulate new growth, much as trimming your hair can help it to grow too. A chemical is contained in each of the buds or leaders, and once you’ve removed that, it allows the buds below to break. So trimming down your plants can help those buds to emerge. Of course, you don’t want to prune back everything in the garden, because if you do, you may miss out on some of those spring blossoms that you love so much. Wisteria, for example, has already set its spring buds.
- Start potting your winter flowering annuals. When it comes to pretty flowers for your pots, you need to make sure that you’re remembering the three Ps: Pansies, Primula and Polyanthus all need to be so seeded in trays or planets. You can always look out for the seedlings in the garden centers too.
- Divide out your perennials. Digging up and dividing the large clumps of perennials like canners, daylilies, euphorbia, foxgloves and dalias is a good idea. Lift them and replant them into well conditioned soil that has been prepared properly. When planting for your autumn garden, you can also mix in some really great fertilizer into the soil. Not only will this improve and enrich the soil, but it will provide new plants with a slow release of nutrients as they are becoming more established. This sets them up for a better spring growth flush.
- Look after your lawn. Autumn is really the time to start feeding your lawn and looking after it really well. The reason is because the grass has slowed down with the cold nights, but the roots will still be growing really well.It’s a good idea to repair because the soil is now warm. With a lawn food that is slow releasing, you can develop a much stronger root system and much thicker grass. It’s also a good time to sow new lawn seeds, so just make sure that you remove the stones and any difficult weeds such as docks and dandelions so that you have a lush covered green over winter.
- Give your plants a chance to set seed. There are some flowering perennials such as corn flour and grasses that have lovely seed heads. Leaving those that you like on the plant during the winter months can really help to add some interest to the garden and look pretty. Those who grow roses will always recommend leaving sunflowers on the plants to set red orange berries. Rose hips not only look good, but they help to really maintain some vigor in your garden.
- Give your citrus trees some love. If you have citrus trees now, feed them with plant food that’s specially formulated for citrus. These formulas will contain the full range of elements that your plants need, so water them well before and after application and spread the fertilizer around the drip line.
Do you have anything to add to the Autumn to-do list above? I would love to know in the comments below. What is your favourite part about your Autumn garden?
Great advice – going to collect more seeds for next summers blooms – turned out well this year