Alex Heath, a Calne-based gardener owns Sulis Design Ltd, a design-only service which focuses on low maintenance, climate resilient gardens and borders He also offers a garden lighting design service to create atmosphere, provide security and increase garden usage into the evenings in an environmentally conscious way. Each month he shares his expertise and top tips.
by Alex Heath
September brings with it a real change, changing daylight hours, colder weather and strong rain showers, really highlight that autumn and the eventual winter months are on the way.
Personally, there is a sense of excitement with the change, with the thought of preparing the garden for winter, enjoying the last few days of fine weather between rain showers and the excitement of the autumnal fruit and vegetables.
As annuals are reaching the end of their season and the perennials are preparing for dormancy and dying back, consider using the trimmings and green waste instead of disposing of it in the local recycling centre or council green waste bin. Composting is a fantastic way of taking green waste, reducing and reusing it and reinvigorating the soil.
Rather than seeing the soil as inert, treat it like a living entity; it needs air, water and nutrients in order to survive and support your prized plants. This is primarily because it is full of living organisms which require all these elements.
A healthy soil will have a loose texture, smell sweet and be easy to work. A soil that needs treatment is one that may be compacted, smells acidic, is waterlogged and lacking in micro-organisms such as worms. If a soil is full of invertebrates, that is a really good sign of a healthy habitat.
If you are a seasoned composter, fantastic, you will already be aware of the benefits of home composting. If you are new to composting then here are some tips and ideas for getting started and some ways to ensure you get the best out of your compost.
When adding to your compost bins or heap you need two main types of waste:
Nitrogen rich green waste from green waste such as grass clippings, plant clippings and food waste. However, with food waste avoid meat and cooked food; unless your compost bins states, it is ok, as they attract vermin and can add pathogens into your compost.
Carbon filled, brown waste from small twigs, bark chips, cardboard and paper. These materials will add structure and body to the compost.
Expect your compost to take 6 months to a year to form. During this time, you will need to add equal parts of green and carbon waste. Regular turning of the heap or bin will add air into the compost, ensuring it doesn’t get too hot, killing off beneficial bacteria. It also distributes the waste evenly.
Without turning, there is a risk that your compost will turn anaerobic and start to smell sour, which doesn’t build a healthy environment for invertebrates and micro-organisms. When your compost is ready for use, it will be dark and crumbly with a mild sweet smell.
You could also consider making leaf mould. It is a fantastic soil conditioner bringing beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, water retention and air to tired soils. Pile leaves on your lawn and mow them to break them up, then gather into bags or a pen made from chicken wire, keeping the pile moist. Allow this to break down over two years to get a fine, crumbly medium for use in the garden.
Rather than buying in compost or sending garden waste away consider using a compost heap to deal with your waste and return nutrients and structure back into your garden. You may find other benefits with the compost heap becoming a habitat for garden friends like hedgehogs, slowworms and ground beetles which prey on slugs and snails.
Plant of the month
Pyra for fire and Cantha for thorns in Ancient Greek is how this month’s plant gets its Latin name. Fire thorn Pyracantha are a great source of autumn food for wildlife with its bright red, yellow or orange berries. Trained against walls and fences it brings bright colour, structure and also a good source of security with its renowned long thorns as the name suggests. When not in flower or fruiting it provides a good evergreen structure, preferring light shade to full sun and thriving well in most fertile soil types.
A recommended plant is Pyracantha ‘orange glow’ which is a compact form growing to 2.5m in width and height compared to others which can grow up to 4.5m in width and height.
Garden tasks for September
Now is a great time to start dividing herbaceous perennials. Before starting, walk around your garden space and identify where there might be spaces, where you may need to add some repetition or replace a plant that might failed with one that thrives better. Depending on the type of plant you have, carefully remove your donor plant and either divide it with a sharp, clean spade, old knife or a pair of garden forks.
Continue to collect seeds to get more plants for free. Carefully shake seed heads into a paper bag and remember to label so you know what the seeds are. Avoid using plastic bags as the seeds may sweat and rot.
With wet weather coming, invest in a waterbutt to collect rainfall ready for use in the summer months next year. There are many types available with some that even allow you to plant in them. If budgets are tight, look on social media sales pages and online auction sites for a bargain.
Lift any remaining potatoes to avoid damage from slugs and snails. Store them in a cool, dark and dry location for later use.
Keep your house plants clean. With reduced natural light levels in houses, removing dust from houseplant leaves ensures as much light can be photosynthesised as possible.
Put netting above ponds to collect leaves but ensure wildlife can’t get trapped in either the netting or the water. Remember to leave another source of fresh water for wildlife to drink and bath in.
Give your lawn the best chance over winter and scarify it to remove any dead or old growth, aerate it with a fork and reseed bare patches created by the summer heat. Wood pigeons particularly love grass seed so don’t forget to net the area.
Start planning for spring and either buy locally or order online your spring bulbs to create a beautiful display of early spring colour next year.
