With the summer holidays over, it’s back to work in the garden!

The fast-paced summer has slowed, and the garden is beginning to move into autumn. September is a month for both harvesting and preparing for the seasons ahead.

Apples are almost finished here in Rothe House for this year, with only one variety, “Lady Fingers”, yet to fully ripen, while the figs have also come along very nicely and are now ready to be harvested.

Throughout this month, try to resist the urge to strip the garden bare! Leave seeds to ripen, so they can be gathered and stored for planting next spring. Seed-heads also provide an important source of food for the birds, while spent foliage can offer shelter for beneficial insects.

Jobs for Septebmer:

• Pull out annuals that are past their prime and compost them
• Continue to dead-head flowers to encourage some more blooms, e.g. your Dahlias, Rudbekia, Echinacea
• Add compost or well-rotted manure to beds and borders to enrich the soil
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and crocuses now for a spring display
• Divide and transplant perennials that have outgrown their space
• Plant late crop salads
• Sow over-wintering onions and spring cabbage