For Sheffield gardeners, including our team at Scape Easy, September is a busy but rewarding month. So much to do and so much to enjoy out in the garden.
September has a special place in the gardening calendar. The intense heat of summer has usually passed, the first signs of autumn are appearing and the garden starts to take on its beautiful, mellow character. So for many gardeners, this is one of the most enjoyable months of the year, offering the perfect balance between enjoying the results of the growing season and preparing for the months ahead.
One of September’s great pleasures of course is harvesting. Vegetable patches and fruit trees should be full of produce, from apples, pears and plums to courgettes, runner beans and tomatoes. Picking crops at their best is hugely rewarding, while any surplus can be preserved, frozen or shared with friends and neighbours. It’s also a good time to collect seeds from favourite plants, giving you the opportunity to grow them again next year.
September is an excellent month for Sheffield gardeners to get on with planting, too. The soil is still warm from summer, while cooler temperatures and increased rainfall help new plants establish before winter. This makes it the ideal time to introduce shrubs, herbaceous perennials and spring-flowering bulbs. Planting bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses and alliums now will ensure a colourful display when spring arrives.
There’s also plenty to do around established borders. Deadheading can prolong flowering, while removing tired annuals creates space for spring planting. September is a particularly good time to divide overcrowded perennials, rejuvenating plants and creating new ones for other parts of the garden. Lawns will also benefit from attention, with scarifying, aerating and feeding helping grass recover from the stresses of summer.
For gardeners who enjoy planning, September provides a chance to reflect on what worked well during the year. You can make notes about successful plants, identify areas that need improvement and start thinking about changes for next season. Greenhouses can be cleaned and prepared for overwintering tender plants, while leaves beginning to fall should be collected for composting or leaf mould.
Perhaps the biggest reason Sheffield gardeners love September is simply that it’s a month of opportunity. There’s still plenty of colour and life in the garden, but autumn’s cooler conditions make outdoor work more comfortable. With harvesting, planting, maintenance and planning all on the agenda, September is the perfect time to enjoy your garden while preparing it for another successful year.
Contact the experts at Scape Easy today on 0114 2309673 or email us at info@scapeasy.co.uk.
