David Domoney's September Newsletter 2024

Gardening in September

Hi ,

With the 1st of September came the start of meteorological autumn, although we can still enjoy a few more weeks of astronomical summer until the 22nd of September.

Bird nesting season has come to an end this month, so perhaps you could get on top of your hedge and shrub trimming tasks. Make sure your topiary is in tip-top condition and get control over excess growth, but still, keep an eye out for any resting birds before you start trimming. Find out more about how to trim your shrubs, hedges, and topiary in my blog.

Keep an eye on your TV screens as I will be on ITV’s This Morning throughout the month with a variety of seasonal gardening advice for your autumn gardening tasks.

Find out about my seasonal gardening advice on my website and YouTube channel. And make sure you like, subscribe, and switch on notifications so you stay updated with all my new videos.

Happy gardening!

David

Gardening tip of the month

Plant up autumn containers

Produce a wonderfully colourful display with some September-flowering plants.

Prep your containers

First, fill the bottom of your container with gravel, or broken pieces of terracotta. This helps with the drainage, without allowing too much water or compost to be lost at once.

Then, fill the rest of your container with peat-free compost, leaving about 5 cm of space below the rim. you can also place your container on pot feet to aid drainage.

Tall autumn container plants

Taller flowering plants are perfect for creating an impact at the centre of your container design.

For rich purple and striking starlike flowers, Platycodon grandiflorus (Balloon flower) makes a fantastic centrepiece. Or for more delicate pink blooms, Nerine bowdenii (Bowden Lily) is perfect.

Shorter autumn container plants

Filling out the rest of the space, or for smaller containers, Aster novi-belgii (Michaelmas daisy) is a September classic, with its many-petalled daisy-like blooms.

The delicate purple blooms of Vinca minor (Lesser periwinkle) slightly trail and is a great mat-former, which is lovely for the edges of containers.

Autumn container maintenance

Watering fairly regularly, particularly shortly after planting, is essential, as you are the custodian of your container plants. They rely on you for hydration and nutrition.

Feed with liquid fertilisers throughout their growing season. Check your plants to know which nutrients they will best benefit from.