- GARDEN - INDOORS - FRUIT & VEG - GREENHOUSE - LAWN -
The hot, dry summer has ensured that autumn is with us early this year. Some trees lost some of their leaves early to protect themselves from drought at the root. All the remaining deciduous trees and shrubs will be dropping their leaves now and making a mess of the garden and lawn. This month we can hope for plenty of rain to redress the balance and the odd cold snap to see off the last of tender summer bedding. Lawns will gradually recover from any drought although bare patches will need special attention.
 THE GARDEN
Autumn flowering plants and shrubs with berries should be providing some late colour, if they have been given enough water to survive the hot, dry August. Penstemons should flower through until the frosts and Helenium, Sedum and Asters (often called michaelmas daisies) will be giving a last display. Many of these autumn flowering plants are susceptible to powdery mildew attack, especially when the soil is dry, and should be sprayed with FungusClear or FungusClear Gun! at the first signs of the white deposit. If your garden is short of colour visit your local garden centre and pick out and plant some plants that catch your eye. Make sure you include some pansies in your selection to provide bright faces this autumn and again next spring.
Dig over flower beds and borders to remove all finished plants and add a good dressing of farmyard manure to improve the structure and water-holding capacity. Levington has recently added this organic soil conditioner to its range of growing media, so even if your garden is miles from the nearest farm you can now obtain quality material from your local garden centre. Levington Farmyard Manure is one of the best around as it does several jobs at once - improves soil structure, increases microbial activity and invigorates plants with nutrients and trace elements.
Summer hanging baskets, window boxes and patio planters will have finished flowering and all plants should be knocked out and either thrown away or stored in a frost free place for next year's display.
Many people store geraniums and fuchsias as mother plants and encourage them to produce cutting material for next year's plants. Don't store these plants in the old compost. There are several reasons to discard this worn out medium. The old growing compost could be home to weed seeds and pests, especially black vine weevil eggs or larvae. It certainly won't contain any reserves of plant nutrients to see the plants through the winter. Spread your used compost over a soil surface so that birds can have a feast of any vine weevil larvae and the structure of the soil will be improved with the organic matter.
Wash off any compost from the roots of the geraniums and fuchsias and pot up in fresh Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. Not only will this fresh compost protect the plant from root pests but will also give useful systemic control of whitefly that hope to spend a winter on the leaves or stems.
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 I. danfordiae is not long lived and often needs replacing each year, but nonetheless is well worth the space. Ordinary varieties of Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) carry several pale blue flowers on short stems. For something different look out for the new variety called 'Pink Giant' that has pastel lilac pink flowers.
topical tip
Complete planting of spring bulbs in patio pots and window boxes. Use fresh Levington Multi-Purpose 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 container grown ornamental plants.
 INDOOR GARDENING
Plant up bulbs for indoor display at Christmas and the new year. 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 while the leaves develop. As the bulbs 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.
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 Miracle- Gro Potting Mix 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.
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 Concentrated 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.
Citrus trees are actively growing all year round. In summer they are flowering and putting on new foliage growth and in the winter they are ripening the fruits. Because of this activity they need to be fed throughout the year. From March through until the end of September feed every two weeks with a high nitrogen feed such as new Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food to encourage bushy growth, prevent fruit drop and leaf yellowing.
In October switch to a balanced plant food that will sustain winter activity and fruit ripening. Push Miracle-Gro Flowering Houseplant Plant Food Spikes into the Compost during October and again in December to provide a slow and steady release of nutrients throughout the winter. When it comes to re-potting next spring look out for the new Levington Citrus Compost, specially formulated to encourage healthy growth and a long life full of flowers.
To keep the smooth leaves of evergreen plants such as Ficus, Philodendron, Monstera, Scheflera and the like in glossy condition, spray them occasionally with Miracle-Gro Leaf Shine. There's no need to dust first or wipe the leaves to a shine.
 LAWNS
The hot summer weather of August has seen many lawns that have been unwatered turn to burnt brown savanna. In previous drought years we have seen the grass gradually return to green when deep regular rainfall encourages the plants to regrow. But inevitably there will be bare patches that need some help to repair.
To give strength to the grass plants that have survived, treat the lawn with a special autumn lawn feed now. This will give the plant the energy for root development and the production of fresh side shoots. The nutrients in EverGreen Autumn or Scotts Autumn Lawn Builder will help to produce a thicker, greener lawn this autumn and one that will green up quicker in the spring.
These autumn lawn treatments contain sufficient nitrogen for end of season vigour carefully balanced with other nutrients to harden off growth and strengthen the root system of grass plants ready for the winter to come. They are ideal for restoring existing lawns after summer damage.
After treatment rake up any debris, mow the lawn so that you can cut off the creeping stems of trailing grass and reveal any bare patches of soil. If you have just a few bare patches use the EverGreen Lawn Repair Kit to supply all the nutrients and grass seed you need. Dig over the bare patch to loosen the soil and scatter the grass seed evenly over the area. Rake into the soil and then water thoroughly. Keep the soil moist for the next few weeks while the seedlings emerge.
Next job is to collect each week any fallen leaves that lay on the lawn. If they are left they can encourage bare patches and the spread of disease. Rake up or blow the leaves into heaps ready for composting. To help them break down more quickly, shred the leaves into smaller pieces and then add to the leaf mould pile adding a special compost activator to get the heap going. Biotal market a biological activator especially for leaves that they recommend for use when shredded leaves are composted in plastic bags.
topical tip
October is a great month to sow Evergreen grass seed to make a new lawn. See that the soil is weed free, firm and flat before you start.
 FRUIT AND VEGETABLES
Pick apples and pears as soon as they are ripe and store undamaged fruit for eating throughout the winter. You can only successfully store fruit that is in perfect condition - anything that has blemishes or bruising will not last long.
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.
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 will work throughout the year.
Collect up any fallen leaves around the vegetable garden to eliminate as many hiding places for slugs and snails as possible. Scatter SlugClear Mini Pellets around cabbage and other crops to ensure the ground is clear.
Hardy broad beans including The Sutton and Aquadulce can be sown now in rich soil in a sunny spot. Have some fleece or a cloche handy to protect the small plants when heavy frosts are expected.
topical tip
FControl peach leaf curl by spraying with Murphy Traditional Copper Fungicide as the leaves fall off. This will help to prevent re-infection next year, although if the disease was widespread then another spray early in the year is recommended.
 IN THE GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY
A greenhouse doesn't have to be a hot house to be useful to the average gardeners. If you can just keep the temperatures above freezing consistently then storing tender plants over winter becomes a blessing that will save heaps of money next year. For economical results insulate the glass and provide a heater that is big enough to keep out severe frosts. Keeping geraniums, tender fuchsias, and any other tropical patio bloomers over winter will generally pay for the cost of heating. In my greenhouse I store red geraniums, a host of trailing fuchsias and purple flowered Tibouchina, and pink and yellow Angel's Trumpet (Brugmansia). These flower outside during the summer in pots and are taken inside to hibernate in cool frost-free conditions.
Before these plants are placed into the greenhouse they are given a good trim back and the remaining foliage and stems are given a good spray with BugClear or Polysect RTU to kill whitefly and aphids. This year red spider mites are also rampant on one of the Brugmansia, so that will get a couple of sprays before going clean into the greenhouse.
topical tip
Clean 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.
 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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