As summer fades and the cooler days of September arrive, your garden enters a critical transitional period. This month is the perfect time to prepare your outdoor space for the coming seasons, ensuring a lush and vibrant garden in the spring and summer. Whether you're tending to your lawn or caring for your flowering plants, here are some essential September gardening tasks to tackle.

 

 

Aerate Lawns

 

After the heavy traffic of summer, your lawn can benefit significantly from aeration. Aerating involves perforating the soil with small holes to allow air, water, and nutrients to penetrate the grass roots. This process helps relieve soil compaction, promoting healthier and stronger grass growth. You can use a lawn aerator for small areas or rent a mechanical aerator for larger lawns. After aerating, consider overseeding and fertilising to help your lawn recover and thrive.

 

 

 

 

Rake Lawns

 

September often brings the first wave of falling leaves. Regularly raking your lawn not only keeps it looking tidy but also prevents a thick layer of leaves from smothering the grass. Allowing leaves to accumulate can lead to moisture retention, fostering an environment conducive to diseases like mold and mildew. Use a rake to keep your lawn clear and give it the best chance to remain healthy as temperatures drop. The Kent & Stowe 3 in 1 Leaf Rake not only has a wide head for clearing large areas, but you can also detach one side for raking narrower areas. It also has detachable leaf grabbers for collecting all the leaves and debris you have cleared. 

 

 

 

 

Cut Back Lily Foliage

 

As lilies finish their flowering season, their foliage will start to yellow and die back. It's essential to allow this process to occur naturally, as the foliage provides energy to the bulbs for next year's blooms. Once the leaves have fully turned yellow or brown, you can cut them back to the ground. This not only tidies up your garden but also helps prevent any potential diseases from overwintering in the decaying leaves. Use a sharp pair of secateurs for a clean, precise cut.

 

 

 

 

Deadhead Dahlias

 

Dahlias are a garden favorite in late summer and early autumn, providing vibrant colour until the first frost. To keep them flowering as long as possible, regularly deadhead the spent blooms. This process encourages the plant to produce more flowers rather than directing energy toward seed production. Simply snip off the faded flowers just above the nearest pair of healthy leaves using a pair of flower snips or secateurs. As the weather cools, consider mulching around the base of the plants to protect the tubers through the winter.

 

 

 

 

Take Salvia Cuttings

 

Salvias are versatile and long blooming perennials that can be easily propagated from cuttings. September is an excellent time to take cuttings, as the plant is still actively growing, and the cuttings have time to establish roots before winter. Select healthy, non-flowering shoots and cut just below a node. Remove the lower leaves and dip the cut end in rooting gel before planting it in a pot filled with a well-draining compost mix. Keep the cuttings in a warm, sheltered spot, and they should be ready to plant out in spring.

 

 

 

Deadhead Roses

 

September is the perfect time to deadhead roses, encouraging them to produce more blooms before the season ends. Remove faded flowers by cutting just above an outward-facing bud, which will promote a good shape and healthy growth. Additionally, removing dead or damaged wood will improve air circulation around the plant, reducing the risk of fungal diseases. As autumn approaches, avoid heavy pruning; instead, focus on tidying up and removing spent blooms. Read our article on how to deadhead roses to find out more

 

 

 

Plant Spring and Summer Flowering Bulbs

 

September is the ideal month to start planting spring and summer-flowering bulbs like tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and alliums. These bulbs require a period of cold dormancy to develop strong roots and produce beautiful blooms. Plant bulbs in well-drained soil, at a depth about three times the height of the bulb. Ensure they are placed with the pointed end facing up. Consider grouping bulbs together in clusters for a more natural and visually striking display come spring. Kent & Stowe have a range of different bulb planters to accommodate different size bulbs. Read our article to find out more about bulb planting. 

 

 

 

Grab your Kent & Stowe gardening tools and enjoy the last of the warm days while preparing your garden for a flourishing spring!