| Seventeenth edition - September 2002
With all the rain we have had, it has not been necessary to water the
garden too much during the summer months, and it is amazing to see how resilient the
summer bedding plants are, for one minute they are totally bedraggled and sodden, the next
flowering their heads off again.
When we moved to our present house three years ago there was nothing
flowering in the garden with the exception of a few bedding marigolds, which I thought
were exceptionally pretty, and saved some of the seed to produce plants for the next year.
The subsequent years saw their numbers increasing and this year I have edged the long
borders with the plants grown from the seed of the original six plants. There are about
two hundred, they look absolutely splendid and cost me nothing but time.. This month I
shall talk a little bit about harvesting and storing
seeds so you can have a glorious floral display in your garden and save money in
future years at the same time.
Remember last month I told of our canine visitor who trashed my garden,
and my smug final words on the subject - "lesson learnt"? I didn`t
apparently learn anything from the experience, because when my sister phoned to say her
one year old black labrador was looking for a new home, we were at her house collecting
him and his belongings before she could change her mind.. Oh well, I can always write
about nice gardens can`t I ?
Make the most of the last few weeks of summer by visiting some late flower
shows, having a barbecue, or just plain lazing in the garden, for all too soon the days
will be shorter and summer will be just a memory.. Me, I am following the dogs`
example and watching the butterflies flying haphazardly around the garden.
September
Spotlight
This is the
right time of year for collecting seeds from many flowering plants, which will give you a
colourful floral display next year and save you money at the same time.
Jobs for the month - September
 House plants
You will need to cut down on watering and feeding gradually this month,
until the winter minimum is reached. Ensure plants are in tip top condition and sited
correctly, which will see them through the winter months.
Lawns
Mower blades should be raised a notch to give a longer cut, and the lawn
will benefit from a good raking to remove any loose cuttings and runners from creeping
weeds. Finally apply an autumn weed and feed, taking care to follow instructions regarding
the composting of treated clippings. September is also a good time for remedying any
deficiencies that come to light in the summer months.
Herbaceous borders
Continue as last month - with dead-heading, weeding and hoeing, to
keep the borders looking neat. You can still sow many biennials straight into the ground,
such as Cornflowers, Foxgloves and Sweet Williams, and they will get away to an early
start next year. I collect
seeds from the various plants I want, jumble them all up and throw them into the
borders. The result is great and I can always thin out those I don`t want.
 Vegetables
This is the main month for harvesting your crops, preferably on a dry day,
and preparing them for storage over winter. A good month for making tomato chutney once
you have stripped all the plants of their fruit. It is possible to `sun-dry` tomatoes in
the oven and overwinter them!
Ponds
 Aquatic plants will start to die down this month, leaving the pond
looking a bit worse for wear. I usually bite the bullet and give nature a helping hand by
cutting foliage down before it becomes an eyesore. I can then put the wire mesh lid over
the pond to keep the falling leaves from adding to the rotting plants and producing gases
that can harm the fish. Oxygenating plants can go too as they are more hindrance than help
in the winter, for they become inactive as oxygen-producers, but contribute to the
production of toxic gases as some of their growth decays.
Wildlife
September - the month of the sleepy wasps and small animals getting ready
to hibernate. I have got the bird feeders and bird table out of the shed and have cleaned
them up ready for another season of feeding the bird population. I make "fat
balls" for the birds by gently heating lard, mixing in bird seed and forming balls
when cooled, finally putting them in the netting that oranges and onions come in, and
hanging them around the garden..
A few late garden shows to visit:
Click
here for flower shows in all other areas of the UK:
And some web sites of interest to gardeners:
www.alantitchmarsh.co.uk
Alan Titchmarsh MBE, TV gardener, writer, broadcaster and thoroughly nice person.
Just a few choice words to describe the peoples` favourite TV gardener. See his
website....
 Thompson and Morgan:
a growing resource for gardeners worldwide. The site includes the international online
seed catalogues, the young plants catalogue (UK only), the wholesale seeds catalogue,
together with the award winning Germination Times and a host of other useful information.
www.carryongardening.co.uk
 Gardening is an important part of many people's lives. You don't have to
give up gardening because of accident or illness, the onset of disability or the problems
associated with growing older. The information on their website is designed to provide you
with the information to Carry on Gardening.
Carry on
Gardening was initiated by the horticultural charity Thrive
and is funded by the National Lottery Charities
Board. It brings together information on easy ways of gardening gathered over 23
years by Thrive and research carried out since the early 1970s by Mary Marlborough Centre,
Oxford, on tools and equipment for disabled and older people.
 www.edenproject.com
The
living theatre of plants and people
The Eden Project is a gateway into the world of plants and people. A meeting place for
all to discover how we depend on plants and how we can help to manage and conserve them
for our mutual survival.
The founder
of www.maple-landscapes.com is my eldest
son.. give him a call if you live in the Leicester area of the UK and have need of his
services..
Good reading:-
"The Yellow Book" contains information of
all Gardens of England and Wales open for charity, and can be bought priced £5 from
National Gardens Scheme www.ngs.org.uk
National Trust Gardens Handbook is £6.99 and
the new edition is out in May Telephone 01394 389 950 or see their website www.nationaltrust.org.uk
RHS Garden Finder is £12.99 from Dorling
Kindersley www.dk.com
Have a look at previous
editions of Gardener`s Diary
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