I love autumn – the “season of mist and mellow fruitfulness”, and the crisp cool mornings. But summer is still having its final fling in Edinburgh. We are busy harvesting carrots, beetroot and salad crops, and our neighbours have a surfeit of runner beans which are enjoying. Our dog ‘Bailey’ has helped himself now and then to the odd radish or bit of veg, but he is in good company, as ‘Nigel’ the golden retriever on ‘Gardeners’ World also seems to enjoy a bit of self-service.
Keep watering and feeding your containers to help them give you a final flowering flourish.
Although showers keep being forecast, we seem to miss most of them and the garden is quite dry, so don’t forget to water now and then. To ensure Camellias don’t drop their flower buds next spring – keep them well watered this month.
Autumn is a good time to address your lawn maintenance, with scarifying, aerating and resowing seed for any bare patches, or laying new turf.
Autumn is also a good time to plant new shrubs and hardy perennials and divide old ones which have become congested. Don’ t forget to water new plants. Continue to dead head flowering perennials to prolong their season.
We will be planting spring bulbs in client gardens from now until winter. So make a start.
Go out into the garden and take a critical look at your plant borders. Are they looking rather tired with little colour? There are many trees, shrubs and perennials that give colour in leaf, bark and flower until the start of winter and really extend the season. Look out for my recommendations in my next blog. In the mean time, look at the late season colour in the photo below. (See www.camboestate.com for visiting information).
