This month started with the air smelling of autumn, and the temperatures having noticeably dropped. It can feel strange to be starting off the first seeds for next year just as much in the garden begins to shut down, withdraw and hibernate for the winter ahead. However the end of September and the start of October brings one of the main times for seed sowing. It allows those Hardy Annuals such as Cornflowers and Sweet Peas whose young seedlings can cope with the cold, and Perennial plants an extra few months of growth making for stronger and larger plants next year. It’s probably advisable to give any small seedlings some protection/shelter if growing outdoors such as a small cloche for example.
Toward the end of the month we plant the new Tulip bulbs into the pots for display. The old bulbs are planted into the main garden when removed, and the container soil is ‘freshened’ each year with new compost added and mixed in. We leave the planting till fairly late, as it allows us to enjoy the summer bedding for a little longer before that is removed, but it also prevents the bulbs being sought out by squirrels! If squirrels are a problem then covering the containers with fleece or chicken wire will help, but by leaving the planting a little later there shouldn’t be so many of them around.
As the new life that will be next year’s garden emerges from the hard work of this year’s, the old layers of the garden peel away. Some trees such as the Handkerchief tree (Davidia
involucrata) have already shed most of their leaves, others are just starting to change colour. The Herbaceous Perennial plants such as the Hostas are all now retreating below ground.
All of the fallen leaves are collected up. Some are placed in the leaf storage bins to create pure leaf mould, others are layered into the composts, and some are returned to the beds and borders to protect and mulch the plants through the winter.
In September we started on our new year of Garden Courses beginning with ‘Garden Design', and ‘Soils and Compost’. This month we have ‘Trees and Shrubs’ on the 18th October as autumn is a good time to plant, and pruning is made all the easier as the leaves fall and the skeleton of the
trees/shrubs becomes more visible.
On 19th October we are welcoming artist Jantein Powell once again to teach. She will be showing students how to create beautiful sketchbook images with the garden and autumn colours as inspiration.
And so in the cycle that is the life of the garden we say goodbye to one shed skin as we look forward to the emergence of new life and new learning.
Comments