As August draws to a close this bank holiday weekend, three experts have shared the essential gardening jobs to tackle as the UK’s dry spell finally starts to ease
With summer nearing its end, gardeners have been encouraged to prioritise several vital tasks this September. Following minimal rainfall during a spell in which Wales experienced on-and-off heatwave conditions, certain plants struggled beneath the extended hot and dry spells.
Yet, with rain now making a comeback in some areas of the country, horticulturist Guy Barter says this is the perfect moment to address particular gardening duties. He told The i Paper: “This early autumn is ideal for sowing cover crops once the soil is moist enough.
“These pick up unused soil nutrients and prevent them being washed away and lost to potentially cause pollution. Their roots will also improve soil,” he added.
“Some make excellent plants for pollinators when they flower spring, phacelia tanacetifolia, or fiddleneck, has abundant blue flowers next year and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) bears masses of red flowers valued by bees.”
He added: “These must be sown by mid-September for good results but rye, ryegrass and wheat (from birdseed can be sown until November, although sooner is better.”
For flower beds that won’t remain waterlogged throughout winter, he also recommended covering exposed soil with annual flowers, suggesting options such as alyssum, calendula and candytuft (Iberis). “Sow as early in September as possible,” he added to the publication.
He also advised: “While the soil is not too wet, take the opportunity to remove grass and other other vegetation from around the base of new trees.”
Meanwhile, Alan Titchmarsh has named five plants he believes gardeners should be focusing on this September.
With rainfall returning moisture to the soil, he says conditions are now perfect for introducing late-summer flowering plants to beds and borders.
Alan explains that these particular plants are ones that begin blooming in July and carry on into autumn, and in some cases even until the first frosts arrive in November.
He highlights Crocosmia, Echinacea, Sedum ‘Hot Stuff’, Kniphofia (aka red hot poker) ‘Papaya Popsicle’ and, finally, his top pick, the dahlia.
“Dahlias were out of fashion for years. They were thought to be vulgar. Heaven knows who by because I’ve always loved them,” he said.
“They grow from a tuber and you plant it in spring in your beds and borders. Up it comes and flowers like this from midsummer right the way through to the frosts of November.”
Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don has also shared some last-minute tasks to tackle over the bank holiday weekend. He suggests that August offers the perfect opportunity for taking cuttings, which involves removing a small portion of plant from your healthiest specimens already thriving in the garden.
According to the Liverpool Echo he said: “As August progresses, semi-ripe cuttings taken from the current season’s wood that has started to harden off are increasingly available and also increasingly likely to root quickly.”
Monty recommends selecting strong, healthy stems from flowers or flower buds and placing the cuttings in a polythene bag so they can be potted up immediately.
When preparing the cutting, he advises stripping away the lower leaves and any side shoots, retaining less than an inch of foliage. Using a sharp knife, make a clean, precise cut before planting it in a container filled with gritty compost or pure perlite.
He notes that nothing elaborate is required to promote healthy root development, as the plant primarily needs oxygen and water. Good drainage is therefore vital, helping to guarantee the cutting receives adequate moisture without becoming waterlogged.
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