Essential Gardening Tasks to Tackle This September

As Summer concludes and Autumn begins, the days become shorter, rain increases, and September brings cooler temperatures, signaling that it's time to tend to the garden in preparation for the upcoming seasons.

1. Use late-blooming perennials to fill any empty spaces

Hylotelephiums (previously called Sedums), Autumn-blooming Asters, Echinacea, and Rudbeckia are ideal perennials for late summer and autumn, helping to prolong your garden's flowering season.

Dusky pink Hylotelephiums and Echinacea in my E11 Natualistic Planting Design

2. Divide Herbaceous Perennials

Propagate new plants at no cost by splitting dense clusters of herbaceous perennials during the autumn season.

Geranium Rozanne in my E11 Industrial Style Garden

3. Lawn Care

Early autumn is the ideal time to care for your lawn. Use a garden fork to aerate and reduce compaction, apply feed and weed treatments, sow seeds into topsoil over bare areas, and edge to enhance the health and appearance of your lawn.

Aerate your lawn using a garden fork

4. Plant Spring bulbs

   Starting in September, you can begin planting spring-flowering bulbs such as Narcissi, Crocus, Muscari, and Frittilaria. However, delay planting tulips until later in the season to prevent fungal diseases like tulip fire.

   

   Narcissi and Crocus in my E2 Canalside Planting Design

5. Clean out water butts

   

   Water butt planter in my E8 Urban Sanctuary Garden

   This is an ideal moment to remove the sludge from the bottom of your water butts before the Autumn rains arrive.

   
   

   I hope you find joy in your garden this September.