Ms Bzzz's Garden Blog

#There's always something to do in the garden!

The season is changing, the autumn colours have arrived, and it looks like it is going to be a colourful one. Winter is around the corner! However, we need to enjoy this time of the year when the garden looks very different. The rain has brought things back to life, and although we have had some very cold nights, there is still enough warmth to keep things growing, there is still colour in the garden, the salvias, caryopteris, and asters are vibrant mauves, pinks and reds. It is now that my species clematis rehderiana comes into flower, it is pale primrose yellow and fills the garden with scent. It is a big grower and needs space to climb, but can be cut hard back in spring. The honey bees are all over it gathering in food to store for the winter.

Things to do now:

• Divide and move plants as there is still some warmth in the soil for plants to settle in.

• Time to cut back untidy perennials if they have finished flowering, cut stems to ground level. But it is also the time to think about the wildlife. don't clear up too much, allow some untidiness for those hedgehogs, beetles and other insects and invertebrates that are good for the garden, seedheads, piles of logs or leaves are invaluable to wildlife. If you have mature ivy in the garden, don't prune it now wait early spring, the flowers are a valuable source of nectar and the berries are loved by garden birds.

• The first frosts may appear towards the end of this month, if you grow dahlias wait until the foliage is blackened , then dig up and cut stems to about 6 inches, turn upside down for a few days for moisture to drain out, and store somewhere dry and frost free, a shed would do, but cover with fleece if temperatures get as low as last year. If you are lucky enough to have very well drained soil, you can try and leave some in the garden, cut stems down to ground level and cover with good mulch of organic matter for protection, you may be lucky and they will survive till next year.

• Now is time to plant hardy spring bedding plants such as wallflowers, primulas and forget -me-nots. ( Come to the Tattenhall Garden Society talk on October 10th to learn more about how to use bedding plants in a modern way!)

• Also plant spring bulbs, snowdrops can start to flower in February, alongside crocuses, and iris reticulata( altho watch out for slugs with these in mild weather!) Grape hyacinths will follow in March with early daffodils and scilla, with a lovely colour combo of blue and yellow. April brings more daffodils, bluebells , early tulips and hyacinths. So you could have flowers and colour in the garden from February onwards whilst you wait for the perennials to get going. You could always plant up a few large pots with bulbs to have by your door in a sunny position so you see them as you come and go without a trek down the garden!