- GARDEN - PATIO/CONTAINER GARDENING - FRUIT & VEG -GREENHOUSE -LAWN -
Heavy summer rains have kept plant roots evenly moist throughout the so-called summer. This has helped bedding such as geraniums, salvias, dahlia and busy lizzies continue to flower right through until autumn if plants were also given a feed occasionally. We can now expect strong winds, heavy showers and the odd cold snap to see off the last of tender summer flowers. Trees and shrubs will be putting on their colourful display of red, oranges and browns ready to drop the lot on an unsuspecting lawn and garden. It's time to clear away summer plants and prepare for next season.
 THE GARDEN
The wet summer weather has encouraged the spread of rust on geraniums. If this disease has spread to your garden you will see the chocolate brown spots on the underside of mature leaves. Before digging up these plants for storage early in the autumn first strip off any leaves that are affected by the disease and then spray the plant thoroughly with FungusClear or the ready to use FungusClear Gun! to give systemic protection. Pot up the geranium plants in fresh Levington Multi-Purpose Compost and store in the greenhouse or conservatory away from frosts.
Dig up begonia corms and cut off any stems so that they can be dried off on an airy shelf away from rain. Dust the corms with sulphur dust to keep storage rots at bay. Similarly, cut the top growth off dahlia tubers and dig up the tubers. Store upside down for a few weeks to ensure the stems dry off without rotting the swollen root parts. After they have dried, store the tubers in a box of Levington Nature's Way Soil Improver and Mulch in a cool but frost-free place.
Continue to plant out bulbs for spring display. Complete plantings of daffodils and the smaller bulbs that add such variety to the display. For extra interest and a good early splash of bright yellow colour try some winter aconites in a shady spot that needs brightening. Other small bulbs that deserve space include Iris reticulata which is available in blue, white and maroon colours on short stems. The yellow species of Iris called danfordiae is not long-lived and often needs replacing each year, but nonetheless is well worth the space.
Autumn is the best time of year for planting trees and shrubs. The cooler temperatures above ground mean that shoots, stems and leaves are only growing slowly - whereas below ground the soil temperature stays warm enough to encourage the growth and spread of roots.
To prepare soil for planting add plenty of garden compost or even better Levington Rose, Tree and Shrub Planting Compost. This special compost contains a bio-stimulant called Stimulex for vigorous, healthy plant growth and enough fertilizer for the first season. This will provide the best start for outdoor plants and is also suitable for lime-hating (ericaceous) plants such as rhododendrons, azaleas, heathers and pieris.
topical tipComplete planting of spring bulbs in patio pots and window boxes. Use fresh Levington compost to avoid carry over of pest problems from summer flowers. If black vine weevil was a problem in your garden this year, pay the little extra for a year's protection against this pest by using Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control for potted ornamental plants.
INDOOR GARDENINGPlant up bulbs for indoor display at Christmas and the new year.
Hippeastrum bulbs that have been specially prepared for Christmas flowering should be potted up straight away. Use a mixture designed specially for houseplant culture such as Levington Houseplant Compost or Miracle-Gro Plant & Gro which has good drainage and a good reserve of nutrients. Leave the top of the bulb showing and keep in a warm sunny spot, watering the compost lightly until new growth appears.
Hyacinths prepared for Christmas display can be placed into the top of a bulb vase or planted into bowls of Levington Bulb Fibre. For best results keep the bowls of hyacinths in a cool dark place for at least six weeks while the roots develop and the flower bud emerges from the bulb. When the shoots are about 5 cm (2 in) in height, move the bowl into a cool shady spot indoors to encourage the leaves to develop and the flower head to be drawn out of the bulb. As the plants grow, gradually move them to good light, twisting them occasionally so the leaves are not drawn to unnatural length and the flower head is not bent over.
Now that the central heating in most homes is bringing temperatures up, your houseplants may need watering a little more often. Don't try to water to a strict regime, otherwise you may have plants that are permanently under water. Use the finger-tip test before adding any water at all. If the surface of the compost is moist then leave the plant alone. Remember to add a liquid plant food such as Miracle-Gro Houseplant Food once a month during the winter. That should be just enough to keep the leaves green, but not too much to force growth while it is supposed to be resting. To keep them all in a moist atmosphere group the plants together to increase humidity and mist them over with plain water with a hand sprayer occasionally. topical tipTazetta narcissus can be grown in a dish of pebbles on the windowsill without soil and without the period of cold that other spring bulbs usually require.
 FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
VEGETABLES
Garlic is very hardy and does well from an autumn planting. Seed cloves from a garden centre are likely to give better results than culinary garlic obtained from your local supermarket because the storage conditions are more consistent.
Pull up and clean any bean poles, pea sticks and other supports before storing away for next year. At the same time get rid of all weeds and debris. To kill weeds in the vegetable plot with very little effort, use a weedkiller such as Weedol that can be used throughout the year.
When there is a warning of frost, uproot your outdoor tomato plants and hang them upside down in a shed or garage to give the fruit time to ripen.
Collect up all fallen leaves and use them on the compost heap. When mixed with the other material collected throughout the summer, especially grass cuttings, they should rot down to form good organic manure ready to be dug in next spring.
Hardy broad beans including The Sutton and Aquadulce can be sown now in rich soil in a sunny spot. Have some fleece or cloche handy to protect the small plants when heavy frosts are expected.
FRUIT
Pick and store apples and pears that are in perfect condition - anything that has blemishes or bruising will not last long. Pick the fruits as soon as they are ripe, instead of allowing the wind to bring them down.
The secret of good storage is to provide the right conditions and only use a late maturing variety such as Bramley's seedling, Cox's Orange Pippin, Egremont Russet or Spartan. A cool dark, airy shed will provide the right atmosphere and a series of trays stacked one on top of the other will give plenty of space. Wrap each perfect apple in oiled paper or the glossy paper from a magazine and inspect them regularly so that you can throw away any rotting ones immediately. topical tipMaincrop raspberries should have their new stems tied onto supporting wires as they develop to maintain a tidy appearance and prevent wind battering during winter.
 IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY
If you are storing tender plants over-winter now is the time to check your heater and fit insulation material to keep out the cold. Before plants such as fuchsias and geraniums are placed into the greenhouse trim back stems and foliage and then spray with BugClear or BugClear Gun! to kill whitefly and aphids. To give useful control of whitefly and aphids for a few months I pot up decorative plants in fresh Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. It is a good way to keep whitefly populations down to acceptable levels. Only when the plants are clean and repotted should they be allowed into the greenhouse.
To provide some early seedlings for the flower garden next year, sow seeds of schizanthus, godetia and nemesias in trays of Levington Seed & Cutting Compost topical tipClean out the inside of the greenhouse, wipe down the glass inside and remove any shading on the outside. Fix bubble insulation, allowing some roof ventilators to operate. as normal.
 THE LAWN
Late September or early October is the best time of the year to sow grass seed, whether to make a new lawn or perhaps to over-seed an existing lawn so that it becomes thicker and fills in any bare patches. Preparing the soil so that the seed has best chance to germinate is only sensible.
If you are sowing a new lawn first dig the area and take out any large stones and all the roots from perennial weeds such as couch grass and bindweed. After levelling the surface improve the texture with EverGreen Lawn Soil. This is an enriched organic dressing that provides energy for quick establishment and improves soil structure that encourages quick root development. Rake this dressing into the existing soil and you are ready to sow your seed.
For areas that are to take hard wear buy a box of EverGreen Multi-Purpose Grass Seed. This contains a mixture of dwarf perennial ryegrasses and various fescues that provide a dense finish that has sturdy resilience that can easily put up with children playing and general wear and tear. For areas that don't get much sunlight select EverGreen Shady Lawn Seed. This contains fine-leaved fescues and Browntop Bent that will stay greener and grow thicker than general purpose mixtures in a shady spot. If you want a lawn that is rich in fine grasses then choose EverGreen Grass Seed for Fine Lawns which also contains a mixture of fine-leaved fescues and Browntop Bent.
Check existing lawns and rake the soil surface wherever you find bare patches and where the grass is thin. After you have raked the soil surface, sprinkle grass seed lightly over the area. For bare patches use one large handful to every square metre (approx 35 grammes) - for thin lawns that needs over-seeding use slightly less (25 grammes per square metre).
After a summer of mowing and cutting most lawns need a period of rest so they can recuperate. Before the hibernation period it's worth giving your lawn a final treatment so that it is ready for a harsh winter and invigorated so that it will be thick and green come next spring. Treat the lawn with a special product such as Evergreen Autumn that contains a mosskiller as well as balanced plant foods for winter vigour. A couple of weeks after treatment the moss will turn black and it can be raked out. Use a mechanical scarifier or a wire-toothed rake to clear the moss and the layer of decaying matter, called thatch, that gathers on the soil surface.
Once you've raked up the debris, mow the lawn so that you can cut off the creeping stems of trailing grass. topical tip
Continue to mow the grass while it is still growing. An occasional trim each month on a dry mild day will help to prevent the lawn turning into a field over winter. ALWAYS READ THE LABEL. USE PESTICIDES SAFELY
BugClear™ and BugClear Gun!™ contain bifenthrin. FungusClear™ and FungusClear Gun!™ contain penconazole. RoundupGC, Roundup Ultra 3000, Roundup Tough Weedkiller Ready to Use and Tumbleweed Original Extra Strong Gel contain glyphosate. Roseclear® 2 contains bupirimate, pirimicarb and triforine. RoseClear® Gun!™ contains bifenthrin and flutriafol. SlugClear™ Mini Pellets contain metaldehyde. Spotless® contains carbendazim. Verdone® Extra contains fluroxypyr, clopyralid and MCPA. Weedol® contains diquat and paraquat. Weedol® Gun!™ contains diquat.
®, ™, Miracle-Gro, and Scotts are trade marks of The Scotts Company or its affiliates. Roundup is the registered Trade Mark of Monsanto Company.
GARDENING INFORMATION FROM The Scotts Company (UK) Limited
WRITTEN BY JOHN CLOWES MAIN INDEX - GO SHOPPING
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