Summer is here. What kind of summer it’s going to be remains to be seen. However, the gardens are soon reaching their peak. All the hard work put in during winter and spring will be starting to bear fruit… quite literally! Most of the sowing, pricking out and potting on will have been done by now and whilst there are always things to be done, watering being a big one, don’t forget to stop and savour all your hard work and enjoy the garden at this time of year.

1. Remove suckers from roses – Most modern bush roses are grafted or budded onto a rootstock which gives the plants vigour to produce the beautiful blooms we all enjoy. One drawback, however, is that the rootstock itself produces the odd shoot, which is identifiable by its lighter-coloured foliage.  It’s best to pull the sucker off the plant, rather than cut it off, as it’s less likely to grow again.
2. Tidy overgrown lilacs – If your lilac has become overgrown and leggy, now is the best time for drastic action.  After the flowers have gone, saw or cut them down to about 45 cm from the base and a mass of new shoots will regrow. This will result in a much bushier and better-shaped plant.  Just thin out any inward-growing shoots that cross the centre of the plant.
3. Prune Clematis Montana – Do this now if you didn’t get a chance last month.  It’s a vigorous clematis, although will only need pruning if it’s getting out of control or smothering neighbouring plants.  After flowering, thin out the growth and trim it back into its allotted space.
4. Remove old leaves and flower stems of hellebores – by now the foliage of hellebores can be looking a bit tatty. Remove the foliage at ground level, that way,  the new young foliage can be seen growing from the centre of the plant.  A feed with a general fertiliser and a mulch with organic matter will help them come back stronger.
5. Take cuttings from Dianthus (pinks) – Cuttings from Dianthus are called ‘pipings’ and are easy to root.  Look for healthy, non-flowering shoots.  Then hold the stem about four pairs of leaves from the top and pull the cutting off (this should come away cleanly). Put several cuttings around the edge of a 10 cm pot in a mixture of peat-free compost and perlite. Water them in and place them in a shady cold frame. The cutting will root within three to four weeks when they can be potted into their own individual pots.
6. Lift and divide bulbs – Once the bulbs have finished flowering, they can be lifted, dried and stored when the foliage has died down. However, if you intend to leave yours in situ year after year, then lift any overcrowded clumps now and divide them up so that they can spend the rest of summer re-establishing.
7. Plant out sweetcorn – Plant sweetcorn in blocks, 30 cm apart each way rather than in rows.  Why? This is because sweetcorn is pollinated by the wind. By growing the plants in blocks, there is a higher chance of pollination being successful as the pollen will blow onto other sweetcorn flowers.
8. Check the base of grapevines – Make sure your grapevines are not drying out and give them a regular soak if they need it.  Whether you grow them outside or inside a glasshouse, they are hardy so can cope with our climate. For improved ripening of the fruits, try growing them under glass.
9. Put up pheromone traps – This is to protect your crops from codling moths. One trap can protect up to five apple trees. Pheromone traps can also help to protect box hedges and plants from the box tree moth. The box tree moth lays its eggs on the underside of the leaves which develop into the larvae of the caterpillar. The caterpillars can defoliate a plant and potentially kill it. Prevention is always better and cheaper than the cure. At Nicholsons, we suggest alternatives to box, available in the Plant Centre, for this very reason.
10. Dampen down greenhouses – ‘Damping down’ just means spraying or splashing water around a greenhouse to keep the atmosphere humid.  This will benefit the plants enormously, especially if you can close the ventilators and doors for a short time to allow the temperature and humidity to rise and create an excellent growing atmosphere.  It can also reduce the incidence of glasshouse red mite.  After a short time, open the doors and ventilators again to get some airflow back into the greenhouse.

April was a tough start to the growing season for us gardeners. Cold temperatures, constant rain and frequent torrential downpours have kept us in our winter gardening wear for longer than we would have liked. However, better weather is coming and you can sense that the plants are in suspense, waiting for the warmth to arrive for good (a few sunnier days will burst them all into life!). With the workload increasing in the garden, here are a few things you can be doing this month.

1. Lightly trim formal evergreen hedging – Hedging such as Box (Buxus sempervirens) can be trimmed now.  It does not take to being cut back hard, so the sooner it starts being trimmed to keep it in shape, the better. This is best done with hand shears, rather than with a mechanical hedge trimmer which can bruise the leaves and does not cut cleanly.  It may take a little longer with shears but the overall look will be much better. Remember to clean your shears before cutting to limit the chance of spreading the fungal disease ‘box blight’.
2. Start staking and tying in perennials – This applies in particular to tall stemmed varieties such as Delphiniums. Place several bamboo canes around each plant, with string tied around the canes. Alternatively, you can tie each stem to an individual cane. Metal plant supports are also available and come in various sizes and styles, depending on the shape and height of the plant you wish to support. Ask our plant centre staff to show you our selection of plant supports.
3. Sow perennials seeds outside – You can collect seeds from plants growing in the garden or from a packet, either way, there is no more cost effective, or more satisfying way to grow new perennials. Most perennials can be grown this way, including hardy geraniums and achilleas. Rake the soil to a fine tilth and create shallow drills in the soil. Water the drills if the soil is dry and spread the seeds thinly, before covering them lightly with soil. Don’t forget to label the drills so you remember what you’ve planted.
4. Continue deadheading spring flowering bulbs- We touched on what to do with daffodils in the March gardening tips and it’s the same with other spring bulbs such as tulips. Cut off the tulip heads and leave the stalks and foliage for at least 6 weeks after the last flower. If you must move them, lift the bulbs carefully with a fork and dig a shallow trench, place them in the trench with the bulb covered and the foliage above the ground. You can then lift them again when the foliage has died down.
5. Prepare the ground for summer bedding – It will now be time to clear the spring-flowering bedding plants and prepare the ground for summer bedding. Plants that are removed can be placed on the compost heap to ensure a supply of organic matter next year. Lightly fork over the soil, removing any weeds and adding a little organic fertiliser (just a light sprinkling otherwise you will get a lot of soft growth at the expense of flowers). Then plant in your summer bedding plants such as Begonias and Petunias.
6. Plant out marrows and courgettes – This is best done at the end of the month, as they are prone to frosts. Plant into soil that has been enriched with plenty of organic matter, as marrows and courgettes require a lot of water during the growing season. They need some space (around 90cm each way) and must be kept well watered during the summer. Why not grow one or two in an ornamental border? The large leaves are bold and attractive and provide a good contrast to other foliage plants in the garden.
7. Water and feed containers – Do this regularly as the weather warms up. Watering containers can become a daily or twice daily task, hanging baskets in particular can dry out quickly. A high potash feed is best for flowers and supports a prolonged display. High nitrogen fertilisers can produce a lot of leafy growth at the expense of flowers so consider which is best for your chosen plants.
8. Watch out for vine weevils – The adult vine weevils are rarely seen as they only come out at night.  Notched foliage is always a sign of their presence, however it is the grubs that do the most damage. They eat at the roots of the plants and can wreck havoc when they multiply within the closed confines of a tub or window box.  The most effective control is an organic biological nematode which kills the grubs and can be bought via mail order.  I have found this to work well in my gardens.
9. Newly sown lawns – If you have recently sown some new lawn seed and it has germinated and grown to about 2.5cm high, roll it with either a lawn roller or the roller on the back of a lawn mower. Rolling encourages the grass shoots to grow from the base of the plant ensuring a close knit sward.  Give the new lawn its first cut when its about 5cm high.  Place the mower on its highest setting at first and gradually reduce the height of each cut, each time you mow.
10. Shade the greenhouse – It is best to avoid great fluctuations of temperature under glass and the best way to reduce temperature is by using shading. There are few methods of doing this. One is to mix a whitewash for the glass made of a commercially available powder and water, which is then painted or sprayed onto the glass and can be wiped off at the end of the summer.  However, this type of shading will be there even on dull days reducing the light inside the greenhouse. Alternatives are roller blinds fitted on the outside of the greenhouse, or a fine mesh netting which can be thrown over the structure on sunny days and removed for greyer days.

Spring is now fully underway and for us gardeners, it is an exciting month as the gardens are starting to look green and vibrant once again. The days are getting warmer and longer, although not without the odd dramatic April shower to keep us on our toes. The sound of lawnmowers coming out of their winter hibernation reminds us that we will be busy in the gardens once more, keeping everything looking healthy. This month brings opportunities to either introduce new plants and ideas to our green spaces or maintain what already enables us to connect with nature.

1. Check for early signs of pests – The better weather brings out the pests and we need to be checking our plants and trees for any early signs of colonies that could be moving in. As they say, prevention is better than cure. Aphids are a common garden visitor and will be eyeing up our roses and perennials. Rub or hose off aphids when you see them and try to avoid pesticide sprays if you can to support friendly and beneficial visitors. Early action prevents any colonies from building up.
2. Trim winter flowering heathers – If you didn’t do this earlier in the year, now is a good time as the flowering stems will most likely be spent and looking a bit tatty. Remove the old stems completely to show off the more attractive new growth.
3. Plant evergreen hedging plants – April is a great month to plant evergreen hedging plants as there is less chance of them being damaged by the cold winter winds. The warmer weather and rain showers will allow them to establish well too. At Nicholsons, we supply a wide range of hedging from old favourites such as yew (Taxus baccata) to box alternatives such as Euonymus japonicus ‘Green Spire’ and Japanese holly (Ilex crenata).
4. Tie in climbing roses and ramblers – Any loose or new shoots will need tying in and training horizontally. This causes the flow of sap to be restricted, resulting in more side shoots developing along the whole length of the main stems, producing more flowers. If left to grow vertically, all the flowers will grow at the tips of the stems, making them less visible.
5. Plant and sow herbs – By now, most herbs can be sown outside and any sown earlier can be planted out from the end of the month, after hardening off in a cold frame. Many young herb plants are now available to buy.
6. Plant out sweet peas – A perfect choice to grow inside an obelisk. Although sweet peas should have been sown earlier, it is still possible to get some flowers in late summer or autumn if you sow them now. Towards the end of the month, it will be safe to plant out sweet peas that were sown in autumn as long as they have been hardened off first for one or two weeks (see the March tips explaining what this means).
7. Top up grit and gravel for your Mediterranean garden – Topping up any grit or gravel shifted by the winter weather will smarten up the area before the plants get going and set them off perfectly when they are at their best.
8. Finish dividing summer flowering perennials – April is the latest month for lifting and dividing if you want them to flower in the summer and autumn. Where possible, always revitalise the soil with well-rotted farmyard manure or garden compost before replanting perennials. Water in well after planting, particularly if the weather is dry. I have just divided my Sedums (now called Hylotelephium), which have established very well in our recent wet weather.
9. Sow annual grasses – Grasses can bring contrast in a garden when planted next to broad-leaf plants. A more ‘naturalistic’ look is achieved within the border, with delicate foliage and attractive seedbeds. Try hare’s tail grass (Lagurus ovatus) or squirrel tail grass (Hordeum jubatum), which can all be sown outside from now on. You can sow them in drifts, similar to annual flowers, or sow them in drills so you can identify them from weed grasses when they germinate.
10. Sow tomatoes – Sow your tomatoes now in order to plant outdoors in early June.  Sow the seeds thinly in trays or small pots containing seed compost and cover them with vermiculite. When the seeds germinate and are large enough, either prick out into trays or into small pots. There are many tomato varieties to choose from and it comes down to a matter of taste as to which ones you grow. You could try trailing tomatoes which you can grow in hanging baskets for something a bit different.

March

Meteorologically speaking, winter has now passed us by and spring has welcomed slightly longer days with brighter mornings and afternoons. There will still be some weather challenges to keep us on our toes such as frosts and rainy showers, so we must hold off bringing out our tender plants and less hardy seedlings. That said, there is plenty for us gardeners to be getting on with as we prepare for the growing season ahead.

1. Plant bare root roses. We are now at the point where March is the last chance to plant bare root roses and fill gaps in our borders in readiness for the growing season. With a wide range of tea roses and floribunda shrubs along with climbing and rambler roses, there is a rose that can bring colour and scent into every garden. Our plant centre team can show you our range and help you to select the perfect rose for your garden.
2. Rose pruning. Prune your rose bushes and shrubs this month unless you got a head start last month. The main reason for pruning roses is to build a healthy framework of shoots that produce a good display of flowers. Thinning overcrowded stems allows light and air to enter, reducing the chance of pests and diseases and encouraging strong and healthy growth. Make sure you have a sharp pair of secateurs for the job.
3. Spring cleaning. Give your greenhouse and cold frames a good clean. Keeping the glass clean allows for more light, assisting with photosynthesis and allowing any seedlings you have to grow into sturdy, healthy plants. It’s surprising how much dust and dirt accumulates on the glass even in dry weather.
4. Scarify your lawn. If you did not get a chance in autumn, rake out any dead grass known as ‘thatch’ and any moss with a spring-tined rake on smaller lawns. For larger lawns, use an electric or petrol scarifier. Removing thatch and moss improves air movement and drainage through the grass and also helps you to identify any problem areas affected by disease or compaction. It may make the lawn look worse than it did initially but take heart, it will soon recover and look vastly improved.
5. Harden off hardy annuals. Any hardy annuals sown under cover can be hardened off now to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions. Place them in a cold frame with the top closed for a few days and then gradually increase ventilation until the lid can be left off or up, usually after 10 days or so. Hardy annuals can now be safely sowed outside in our area.
6. Deadhead daffodils. As the flowers fade, deadhead your daffodils but leave the foliage alone. If the old flowers are left on, the plant’s energy will be used for seed production. At this time, the important thing is to build up the bulbs’ reserves so that a new flower bud forms inside it for flowering next spring.
7. Move any evergreen shrubs. With the soil beginning to warm up and the shrubs soon beginning to grow, it is a good time to move them. They will lose less water and will be able to establish in their new home quickly. When moving shrubs, take as large a root ball as you can manage. Protect the shrubs from cold winds and keep well-watered and it should grow well.
8. Plant hardy perennials. They will grow quickly if they are planted now. Feed and mulch them after planting and keep them well-watered until established.
9. Protect young shoots. The young tender shoots of plants such as delphiniums and hostas, which are prone to slug damage, need proactive protection. Slugs and snails can do a lot of damage to young buds before they have barely emerged from the soil. A product such as Neudorff Sluggo Slug and Snail Killer, which is methaldehyde free, is certified for organic use and is safe for other wildlife and pets.
10. Plant early potatoes. Good potato crops to plant now are the rocket or swift varieties. These varieties offer a quick yield and are often ready in around 10 weeks. They are also a good variety to start with if you are new to growing potatoes. Ensure you purchase certified disease-free seed potatoes to ensure a healthy start for your crop.

February

Now that we can put what always feels like the longest month of the year behind us, we can settle into February. In fact, as I write this, there is a distinct feeling of spring in the air and we are already seeing small signs, with the lighter evenings and snowdrops popping up here and there. While it certainly does feel like the weather is beginning to turn, we need to be careful not to get too ahead of ourselves. Frosts are still very much on the agenda, so keep tender plants under cover and don’t be too surprised if a few cold, rainy and windy spells still hit us – sorry! However, there are still jobs to be getting on with and before you know it, the lovely warmth of spring will officially be upon us.

1. Stakes and supports: Take stock of all your plant supports and replace any that have broken. Ensure you are adding new supports if you have increased your plant stock.
2. Raspberries: Prune down your autumn fruiting raspberries and tie in the summer fruiting raspberries to their canes. If the raspberry canes are taller than the wire support, you can prune them back by cutting down the cane to one bud above the wire support.
3. Prune woody plants: Any woody shrubs that flower on new wood in late summer can be pruned now.
4. Pruning shrubs: Get all of the pruning done on the deciduous hedges and trees if you need to. Birds will be looking for nesting opportunities so make sure you get the necessary pruning done before they settle in so that you are not disturbing them during their nesting season.
5. Apply organic-based fertiliser to your borders. Organic fertilisers release their nutrients slower than inorganic feeds so the plants will have the complex feed they need in the soil when they start to grow in the spring.
6. Keep off very wet soil and lawns: February can still be a cold, damp month so it’s best to keep out of the borders if the soil is waterlogged and off the lawns if you have flooding. Working in waterlogged soil can compress it which can lead to the soil becoming anaerobic. Oxygen is vital in healthy soil and healthy soil is vital for plant growth, so protecting your soil with the simple act of not compressing it at this time of year is quite important for long-term soil health. If you must walk on the lawn and it’s waterlogged, use a plank to even out the weight a little and reduce compression.
7. Sow early vegetable crops such as lettuce, beetroot and peas. 
8. The soil will soon start warming up, so make sure you plant up your bare root plants this month. Do not plant if the soil is frozen or waterlogged though – wait a little for the frost to pass, the water to clear and then plant up a storm.
9. Winter flowering Jasmine: When the flowers have gone over, prune back your winter flowering Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum). First, prune out any dead, damaged and diseased wood. Select the stems you would like to use and tie those onto your framework. Then, cut back the side growth to around 5cm from the main stems and finish off by feeding and mulching.
10. Sow your sweet peas outside: To help speed up germination, you can put a cloche over them. This will help to protect the seedlings too when they emerge.

January

A very warm welcome to 2024 from the gardening team, but crikey what a soggy few weeks it’s been! Far from inviting, the weather certainly does feel like it’s against the gardening community. However, at this time of year, there are still lots of bits and bobs to get done and it’s time to look closely at the structure of your garden and plan for the season ahead. Take care to prune the right plants at the right time and consider maintenance of structures and equipment to ensure longevity. 

Without further ado – brace the cold, pull on your woolly hat and wellies and brave the garden!

• Make sure that your tender plants are properly protected from the frost. With the wind whipping around, it’s possible that the fleece or protective covering may have moved, leaving parts of the plant exposed to the elements.
• Check that your containers are properly watered. In particular, the containers that might be in a rain shadow. The wet weather might deceive you into thinking your outdoor container is getting sufficient water, but if the container is under a porch or at the base of the house under an overhanging eave, this might prevent the rain from reaching the soil. Be sure to keep an eye on this during the winter months when it’s less obvious to think of watering. 
• Continue to lift and divide herbaceous perennials and plant up, but not when the soil is too wet or frozen. 
• Hoe weeds in borders and weed burn on gravel paths. The milder weather has given way for some of the braver weeds to rear up, so they need to be dealt with sooner rather than later. 
• Buy your bare root roses and plant them up. Remember to only plant if your soil isn’t prone to waterlogging or if there is a frost that day. This gives them plenty of time to snuggle down, ready to burst into action when spring arrives. Our Plant Centre has a beautiful selection of bare root roses – pop in to speak to our knowledgeable team. 
• Send all your gardening equipment in for servicing, ready for the growing season ahead. 
• Steer clear of waterlogged soil and lawns. Compression will result in anaerobic soils which will affect plant productivity. 
• Clean down and disinfect your greenhouse. This helps with photosynthesis when you want to start propagating your seeds and cuttings. Disinfecting your greenhouse helps to control the spread of disease in the greenhouse and through your garden. 
• Clean and disinfect all your pots and propagating equipment if they are stored in your greenhouse. Ensure the greenhouse is free of any leaves, especially if they are diseased.  Remember to ventilate your greenhouse to control any evolving or pre-existing fungal issues such as botrytis.
• Prune wisteria and continue to prune fruit trees, red and white currents, gooseberries, blackcurrants and your grapevine this month – the sap will start rising soon enough.
• If soil conditions allow, plant out your deciduous hedging. 
• Check your tree ties to ensure they are not broken, rubbing and constricting the bark on the tree. Remember to also check that tree stakes are intact and that they have not snapped in the high winds.
• Chit any early potatoes. 

November/December

This autumn, we have been spoilt with the seasonal colour on display. The autumnal hues have been exceptionally striking and have made otherwise stormy days rather beautiful. However, there are still several jobs to get through this year and putting the garden to bed for the colder months is top of the list.

• Clear up fallen leaves from lawns to prevent dead spots. Where possible, consider using these in a sheltered corner of your garden to create a ‘habitat pile’ for garden wildlife, such as amphibians, reptiles or hedgehogs.
• For those of you lucky enough to have a pond in your garden, now is the time to clear over-excessive vegetation or silted areas before the amphibians start coming back early in the New Year. Small amounts of leaves in ponds are not a problem for wildlife but if they are plentiful, try to remove them before they sink to the bottom.
• An environmentally friendly option to avoid your pond freezing over is to place a floating tennis ball in the pond. The continual bobbing action allows oxygen to enter the pond and delays the freezing process. Ensure wildlife ramps are still in place to allow for easy entry and exit.
• Plant those tulips! Temperatures are now consistently below 10 degrees at night so tulips can be planted. You then have something exciting to look forward to in spring.
• Be careful with your ornamental grasses when cutting back faded herbaceous borders. They can serve as effective winter interest so check which cultivar you have and see if you can wait to cut it back in early spring.
• Look after your ceramic containers that are not frost resistant by covering them with hessian or fleece. You can also put them onto “feet” to help avoid the container sitting in water which can add to the pot cracking and breaking.
• Remember to hand weed the perennial weeds (roots and all) and hoe any annual weeds. This will help you in the spring when keeping on top of weeds can be a real chore.
• Planting bareroot is often more economical than planting containerised plants and it gives the plant the winter season to bed in, ready to grow in the spring.
• Fleece protect your tender plants, whether they are kept outside or in sheltered areas i.e. greenhouses or potting sheds.
• Winter prune your “pips” fruit trees i.e. apples and pears but not your “stones” fruit trees i.e. cherry trees or any espaliers.
• Irrigation timers: make sure your irrigation timer is removed, the battery taken out, the timer cleaned and wrapped up if storing in the shed or greenhouse.
• Be careful with your bonfires – any piles of logs or brash can be a magnet for wildlife. Always dismantle burn piles and restack before burning to allow hibernating animals such as hedgehogs to seek shelter elsewhere.
• Feeding the birds now, during the coldest part of the year, will be very welcome. Ensure that bird baths are regularly topped up but remember to clean feeders and bird baths weekly with mild disinfectant to prevent the spread of disease. Now is also a good time to clear out droppings and old nest debris from any bird boxes so they are ready to be taken up again in spring.

October

It is fair to say that September brought us quite a variety of weather, with the hot spell at the beginning of the month seeming to confuse things in the garden. Now, as we inch further into autumn, rather than our gardens winding down, it seems to have given them one last hoorah. So far, the temperature has been quite mild, but the leaves are definitely changing and starting their autumnal display with gusto. Aside from enjoying the beautiful colours, please find below some suggestions for gardening jobs to complete at this time of year.

• Once the frost has come, lift dahlias and store. If you overwinter your tubers in the ground, remember to protect them with straw or mulch.
• Raise ceramic containers onto pot feet for the winter.
• Clear borders of frost-affected herbaceous planting and remember to remove all the stakes and supports, unless they are kept in for ornamental purposes.
• Pre-order (where possible) any bare root or root-wrapped shrubs and trees, ready to be planted in November. This is a more affordable way of creating impact through quantity in your garden i.e. a new hedge.
• Prune back buddleja by half to help prevent root rot.
• Hardwood cuttings can be taken now and propagated on for the New Year’s planting.
• Check tree ties are stable and secure before we are faced with heavy winds. However, it is crucial that they are not too tight.
• If you’ve had black spot or scab in the garden during the growing season and are now clearing leaves, ensure the leaves are destroyed and not composted. Any diseased leaves should always be removed from the garden. Otherwise, the problem can be exacerbated the following year.
• Mow only when necessary and ensure the mower height isn’t too low.
• Continue to remove leaves from lawns and out of ponds. Leaves in the borders are fine as long as they are disease free and don’t stop air flow around woody plants (i.e. roses and lavender). The little creatures living in our gardens benefit from leaves left over. As they decompose, they benefit the soil and worms.
• If you haven’t already got one in place, consider creating a leaf pen so that you have a good amount of carbon (brown material) to add to your compost when you need it.

September

Despite the increased temperatures in early September, there are already signs that autumn is on the way.

With a wonderfully colourful time of year ahead of us, fresh, bright mornings and evenings are something to look forward to. I personally find autumn an exciting and pleasing time of the year to be out in the garden. It is a time of reflection and an opportunity to start planning for the next growing season.

• This is a good time of year to plant new perennials, especially towards the end of September, as the soil is still warm, but moisture levels are increasing.
• Continue cutting back perennials that are fading and dying down. Make sure you look at areas you might otherwise not, like marginal plants around ponds.
• Spring-flowering bulbs are now available in plant centres, garden centres, and online.
• Keep an eye out for vine weevil damage to plants and grass, and do a nematode treatment while the soil is still warm enough to break the lifecycle and control the population.
• Give evergreen shrubs and hedges a final trim before winter.
• Start planning for shrub and tree planting in the autumn.
• Start cutting the grass a little higher as it will start to slow down its growth now.
• Plan for, and book in, autumn lawn treatments i.e. winter care and scarifying and aerating.
• Collect leaves out of ponds and continue to do so until all the leaves have dropped – it pays off to be diligent in this task and makes pond maintenance much easier in the long run.
• Continue to deadhead, but slow down feeding – September is the last month for feeding really, but if you have Dahlias, now would be good to do a folia feed so that they can maximise photosynthesis for storing in their tubers before the first frost hits (make sure you feed your Wisteria to get that flower display in for next year!).