September to do list!
How is it September already! Let’s take advantage of that late (I’m still waiting for it) heat that normally comes after the kids are in school and get a few gardening jobs completed! With winter in mind, look at your garden to find jobs that might be difficult to complete in the colder months.
Here are a few reminders of what you can be doing at the moment:
Keep up watering of new plants and trees until it gets too cold.
Sweet peas can be sown in the greenhouse or cold frame for early summer.
Poppies, Calendula and other hardy annuals can be sown in situ.
Plant out new perennials while soil is still warm and we are getting more rain. Daffodils, Crocus and Hyacinths can be planted now
Divide and plant herbaceous perennials now and be sure they are well watered
Fill in the holes in your beds with Autumn flowering plants such as Sedum to prolong colour
Keep on deadheading plants like Dahlias, Roses to keep the colour through the month.
Mind your hanging baskets – deadhead, water and feed to keep them going! Start thinking about planting up with winter/spring plants and bulbs.
Keep cutting back perennials as they are fading.
Divide any clumps of alpines or perennials like Crocosmia to improve next year’s show
Be sure your Camellias and Rhodos are well watered so that next year’s buds develop well
Unless they are repeat flowering, you can think about pruning climbing and rambling roses after they flower. Cut back side shoots from the main branches to a couple of buds. Old unproductive stems can be removed from the base.
If the weather is cool, move and plant your trees and shrubs so they are established when spring starts.
Prune late summer flowering shrubs after flowering and evergreens to make sure they look good in the winter.
Save any raked leaves for leaf mulch or the compost pile.
Now is a great time to think about and order any mature or large plants to plant in October when ground is consistently moist.
The main thing to remember is to get out and enjoy that garden! Come in with any questions you might have!
Mary Weiss, Horticulturalist, Powerscourt Garden Pavilion
