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Monday, 19 September 2011 20:00 |
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OK, so the your summer holiday is receeding in the memory. Perhaps, you have just negotiated the annual frenzy that is getting the kids back to school (hopefully with all the right Gym kit, uniform lunch boxes etc)or maybe you are just dreading the clocks going back and the nights are drawing in.
In other words Autumn is here.
This for me, is the time when nature fans her tail feathers one last time and says, heres what you are going to be missing in the comming months! However, this is not the time for us to get down hearted and turn our backs on the garden, on the contrary this is the time when our garden needs us most. This is the time when we plan, when we aspire to what could be when the sun shines again next summer, in other words, this is when we lay the foundations for future success.
Take a good look at your garden and whilst you can still remember how you used it through the summer, start to think where it worked and importantly where it didn't. For instance, was there a border that just didn't grow; did the terrace give you enough space for you new table and chairs; did the lawn have any grass or was it just the moss keeping it looking green?
When assesing the planting in your garden, especially hedging and trees, it is important to know that the Autumn is the time for bare root stock. These are plants that have been grown in the field (I like to think of them as 'free range')and not potted or containerised. The bare root stock offers such good value as they are considerably cheaper that potted stock and they also tend to establish better, as their roots will reach out into your garden soil, forming a good root structure quicker than if they had been in containers for any length of time.
Late Autumn and early winter is also the best time for moving any woody plants that you think are in the wrong place following your critical assesment. Into the dormant season the plants are effectively slowing down and there is more moisture in the soil so the risks of digging up plants and moving them are reduced.
As for your lawn, its time to rake out the old thatch and give it a well deserved Autumn feed which has a higher Phosphate content to stimulate root development.
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