Garden Diary

September Garden Diary

After an exceptionally dry summer, September has arrived with many gardens now looking rather different from summer. Lawns have started to recover, borders have struggled and some plants are still showing the effects of prolonged heat and lack of rainfall.

The temptation can be to assume the worst, but gardens are remarkably resilient. As temperatures ease and rainfall returns, September is a month for recovery rather than panic, assessing what has survived and helping the garden regain strength.

Beds and Borders

Take a good look around before removing plants that appear tired or damaged. Some established plants may simply have protected themselves during the drought and could recover as conditions improve.

Remove spent flowers and damaged growth, but avoid excessive pruning while plants remain stressed. Adding compost or organic matter to borders will improve the soil and help retain moisture.

September is traditionally an excellent planting month. Warm soil encourages root development while cooler temperatures reduce stress above ground. After such a dry summer, check soil moisture and water planting holes thoroughly before adding new shrubs or perennials.

 

Patio Tubs and Baskets

Summer containers may still have several weeks of colour left, so continue deadheading, feeding and watering where necessary.

As displays finish, introduce autumn colour with cyclamen, heathers and foliage plants. Spring bulbs including daffodils and crocus can also be planted now, giving them time to establish before winter.

Lawn Care

The rain has finally arrived and lawns across Nottingham are waking up. What’s particularly interesting this year is how differently they are recovering.

Some lawns have become green and full again remarkably quickly. Others have regained their colour but remain thin and mottled, with straw showing through, while some have areas where grass has been lost completely.

The reassuring news is that much of the brown grass we saw during the drought was dormant rather than dead. But how a lawn recovers can tell us a great deal about what is happening beneath the surface.

Lawns that have previously been scarified or aerated are often recovering more readily. Those struggling can have a build-up of thatch the dead, matted layer between grass and soil, together with compacted ground beneath. Both can restrict how effectively rainfall reaches the root zone.

At Greener Gardens, this is why we look beyond simply whether a lawn is green or brown. Soil condition, thatch, compaction, drainage and grass density help us understand the underlying cause and determine what the lawn actually needs.

Autumn feeding will support recovery, encouraging stronger grass and root development ahead of winter. Where thatch or compaction is restricting recovery, aeration or scarification may be appropriate, while genuinely bare areas may benefit from overseeding.

If your lawn is struggling to recover after the drought, now is a good time to ask for advice. Contact Greener Gardens and we can assess what is happening, explain what your lawn needs and recommend the right next step, whether that is simply allowing more time for recovery or providing some additional help.

At Greener Gardens, we have adapted our seasonal lawn plans this year specifically to support drought recovery. Soil condition, grass density, thatch, compaction and the extent of summer damage all help determine what a lawn actually needs.

Grow Your Own

September brings plenty of rewards from the kitchen garden, with apples, pears, raspberries and blackberries ready for harvesting.

As vegetable beds become empty, adding compost or organic matter will begin rebuilding soil condition and help retain moisture more effectively next year.

Garden Diary is written by John Draper of Greener Gardens, your local independent BASIS Lawn Assured specialist and past Chairman of the UK Lawn Care Association.