Garden Checklist ...

Good Morning!

I can't believe September has reached us already, this year has flown by!
As for the Summer ... well the thing that we called Summer past us in a blink!
There are however a few things that you can still be getting on with in the garden right now ...

1. Hedges  - Now that fledglings will have left their nests it's time to trim any hedges that need doing! It's not perfect but the one in our garden has been neatened up and at long last it no longer resembles a spiky hairdo from the early 2000's!

2. Raspberries - If you have Raspberries in your garden then now is the time to do a little bit of pruning! 

If you are growing Summer fruiting varieties then prune out the canes which bore fruit this year as they fruit on the previous years growth. 

One way of telling which is what is that if you prune at this time of year the canes you need to get rid of will be a brown colour, this years growth will still be green.
Cut out all the old canes and try to leave each plant with 4 - 5 of the healthiest, strongest looking canes.

Autumn fruiting varieties however fruit on the current years growth which means you can cut them all down later on towards the end the year.

3. Hanging Baskets - If like me you have some Hanging Baskets looking past their best, why not give them a spruce up for the coming months! 

Below I have kept the conifers in my driveway baskets but replaced everything else with ...

- Heuchera 'Obsidian'

- Brachyglottis 'Greyi' for the silver foliage 

- Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue'

 along with some Winter Pansies for some little pops of colour.

(I will also add some Spring bulbs to the basket once I have purchased them)

4. Spring Bulbs - Now is the time to get ordering those Spring bulbs and the sooner you do it the better! The first reason being that the bulbs will be of a better quality compared to those left sitting around for a few months ... the second reason being that you have more choice before the favourite's are snapped up and end up going out of stock.

Here's a little look of some that are on my list to buy so far ... it soon adds up but it's worth it!

5. Deadheading - I know I mention this in every checklist but please make sure that you keep up with the deadheading to prolong the flowering of your favourite plants! 

As you can see below in the photograph the bloom on the left needs to be removed (simply cut back the flower stalk to where it reaches the stem) and it won't be just you enjoying more blooms ...

Thanks for stopping by, don't forget you can find all the previous Checklists on the page tab above.

HAPPY GROWING!

XXX