September Gardening Guide

September is the first true month of Autumn, the flowers starting to fade. In the vegetable garden, however, it is a productive month of harvest.

Now is the time to order and plant spring bulbs. Chose pollinator-friendly bulbs such as crocus, muscari, hyacinth or snowdrops. These can be sown in the lawn of your garden or practice, creating natural-looking swathes of blooms. Native pollinator-friendly bulbs include bluebells (English, not Spanish, bluebells) and snake-head fritillary. It is also time to order garlic and onion sets, to be planted before winter.

Herbaceous perennials can be lifted and divided now, providing you with extra plants. If there are any perennials, shrubs or small trees you would like to move, do it now, so the plants can get established before winter.

Hedges and borders can be pruned as the nesting season is over. This will keep them fresh and tidy.

This is a big month for vegetable and fruit harvest. Harvest and eat them fresh, or keep some for eating over winter. Some can be frozen, pickled, or made into chutneys and jams.

There is still time to sow oriental salad leaves or spinach for some winter greens. At the end of the month broad beans (Aquadulce variety) can be sown for an early crop next year.

Hardy annual flowers, such as calendula and nigella can be sown now for planting out in Spring, giving you some earlier flowers.