Down Garden Services

SEPTEMBER A GOAT GRAZING WHILE FACING THE WIND, EXPECT A FINE DAY; IF HE CROPS WITH TAIL TO THE WIND, LOOK OUT FOR RAIN. More weather folklore "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures." - Francis Bacon Flower of the month - ASTER While the grass is still growing you can do some essential maintenance. Scarifying is the removal of thatch which builds up during the summer and if left will choke the grass and encourage moss. If there is some moss it should be killed off using moss killer (without fertilizer), if it is not killed scarifying will only break it up and spread it around. After a few weeks you can remove the dead moss and thatch using a spring-tined rake, the tines should be angled towards you (some for gathering leaves, have curly ineffectual ends). For large areas you can hire an electric or petrol machine. The result may look terrible but a go with the mower will tidy it up and the grass will grow into the gaps. There may also be some compaction and this should be improved by aeration. After scarification the lawn can be improved by an application of a top dressing. This is made up of one part coarse sand (not builders sand which is too fine and sets hard when dry), one part fine peat (or a substitute) and one part good soil, all mixed and passed through a 1/4 inch seive. Use two large buckets to mix the dressing, add the constituents to one bucket and pass the mixture back and forth about 4 to 5 times to obtain an even distribution. Apply about 10 litres (2 gal. bucket) per 2 square metres. Brushed over the grass the dressing will level out small depressions and the grasses will re-root at a higher level. A plastic leaf rake is very good for leveling it around. To improve the quality of the lawn, sow 35g (1/4 oz) per sq metre of luxury seed mix before applying the top dressing or mix with it. Now is the time to sow a new lawn. If you have been preparing the area throughout the summer, all the better. (see June tips) It's time to check tree ties and stakes before autumn gales arrive. Make sure the tie is not cutting into the trunk. If the tree has been in situ for more than three years, chances are the tree is holding up the stake and it can be removed. New growth on climbing plants needs to be tied-in to prevent the wind from lashing it about. For Wisteria cut back any unwanted growth to about 20cm - further more precise pruning to one or two buds per shoot is done in January or February when the leaves are off to develop flowering spurs. Make ties secure, but allow room for the stem to thicken; use soft string or a plastic tie, which will not cut into the stem. Stretch some netting over the pond to catch leaves. Black plastic netting with a 1cm mesh ( at about £1.50/m ) is available at garden centres. Weave stout string around the edges of the net to reinforce it and attach guy ropes to pin it in place beyond the liner with a few more criss-crossing the pond for extra support. Remove leaves regularily to relieve the strain on the net, as it will become very heavy if it sags into the water, try to rake them off the top rather than removing the net (or a use a garden vac'). Continue to tidy the herbaceous borders. There will probably be some plants in the wrong place, ie. too large, too small, wrong colour or a foliage imbalance. They can now be moved to improve their setting or that of the surrounding plants. Some plants which spread by runners or rhizomes can be consolidated to give a more compact group, and any plants that have outgrown their site can be divided. Some plants such as grasses should not be divided until spring so place a marker beside them as a reminder. Rose bushes which have finished flowering should be trimmed back by about a third to about knee height, to prevent wind rock later. Use the hedge trimmer on large beds, more accurate pruning is carried out in spring. Remove any leaves which have pruningblackspot disease to prevent the spores dropping off and over-wintering on the soil - pick up any that have already fallen. Remove the faded flowers of gladioli and allow the foliage to die back fully before lifting the corms to store over the winter. Lift and store beetroot and carrots. They need to be kept moist and can be stored outdoors in a traditional clamp. On a cleared patch of well-drained soil make a bed of straw, place them on top, cover with more straw and then with a 3 inch layer of soil. Alternatively store them in layers in boxes of moist sand or peat in a cool shed. Store only undamaged roots, remove the foliage which will rot if left on, twist it off leaving about an inch of stem on the beetroot to prevent bleeding. Parsnips can be left in the ground, cover with straw later when the foliage has died down and heavy frost is due. There will be lots of spring bulbs available in the shops at present. If you have suffered from non-appearance in the past, this could be due to mice or squirrels stealing them over the winter period, especially crocus or fritillary corms. A piece of fine mesh wire (about 5mm) placed just above the corms, but below soil level, should keep them safe. The leaves and flower stems can grow through the mesh.