Gates Gardening Reflections – September 2020

The perennial and bedding borders will need to be kept tidy, not forgetting to make sure that floppy or weaker plants are staked and supported with herbaceous rings and plant supports, as September can be a blustery month.

Regular dead-heading will help prolong flowering so that you get the most from your beds and borders. Again, this can be a time to reflect on how much colour you have and whether you need to think about planting later flowering perennials or shrubs to provide a longer period of interest and colour in the garden.

As the beds and borders start to slow in their show and display, the vegetable patch will still be providing a good yield, so keep harvesting regularly to reap the benefits of all your hard work and preparation. Remember to harvest all the summer flowering raspberries, as they will be heavy with crops, becoming ripe daily now.

Ideally you will start buying and planting bulbs over September and October. You might want to think about layering or bulb recipes as they are a great way of planting for maximum effect. Layering is as simple as choosing three flowering bulb types and planting at appropriate depths. i.e. tulip, daffodil and crocus.