Page sponsored by: http://www.southwestwales.info/privacy.asp September’s gardening tips Now is an ideal time to sow or lay a new lawn, while the soil is still warm. New lawns can be sown, into a well-prepared surface, and will require a couple of high cuts before the winter. Rake lawn to remove debris, repair bad patches and feed the lawn with autumn feed and Weed & Moss Killer if necessary. Rake the fallen leaves off the lawn every few days, don't let them lie in wet heaps for long, or they will damage the grass underneath. Shredded grass and leaves makes great composting material. Keep dead-heading patio pots. If you move potted geraniums, verbenas and argyranthemums close to a warm wall, they may go on for weeks yet. Divide old or congested clumps of perennials now, so that the roots can re-establish before the winter. No need to wait for them to be absolutely leafless. Cut the tops down if it makes life easier, but retain a few inches of flower stalk to mark the position. Keep picking dahlia flowers, don't dig up the tuber until we get the first frost and the leaves turn black. Dead head gladioli. Spring flowering bulbs should be available in your local garden centre. Plan where you are going to plant them and buy accordingly, its great fun filling up those brown bags with bulbs, but can be expensive. . For a wider choice than is available at your local garden centre, study mail order catalogues. Most bulbs, including daffodils, hyacinths, lilies and small bulbs are best planted this month or in early October. If you have a small garden, or are planting bulbs in pots, think about using smaller varieties of bulbs. Plant bulbs of one variety together for effect. Clip hedges, including box, laurel and beech prune shrubs cutting out dead, diseased, dying or crossing branches Start closing greenhouses at night, but remember to open them again during the daytime. Harvest and store your apples and pears Collect and dispose of wind-fall fruit. Leaving them on the ground encourages pests and can damage your lawn. If you have fruit trees then now is the time to put a Grease band around them to stop pests from crawling up and destroying the fruit September is the month to plant evergreens and heathers, so they can root into the surrounding soil before winter comes. Keep them watered for a few weeks if the weather is dry and windy Cover autumn-fruiting blackberries and raspberries with netting to keep off the birds, but check daily to ensure no animals or birds get trapped Shrub roses and ramblers can easily be propagated from stem cuttings at this time of year. Take a length of stem about 30cm (12 inches) long and trim it off just below the bottom leaf. Remove the soft tip just above a root joint. Take off all but the top two or three leaves and push the cuttings into a well dug trench in the garden to about half their length. They should be left for 12 months to root and develop. Also take blackcurrant cuttings. Cutting should be 10' long - the size of a pencil. Plant upright in a 'V' shaped trench with sharp sand in the bottom, then back fill with soil. Get your winter pansies, wallflowers and other spring bedding planted now. · Make sure that ponds are topped up, if you need to top up your pond check the PH and nitrogen levels of the water afterwards. Pond fish will eat more in the summer, feed them little and often, once or twice a day. If the food has not been eaten within 15 minutes, remove and dispose of the excess. Lift marrows, pumpkins and squashes off the ground in order to keep them clean and reduce slug damage. · http://www.rhs.org.uk/rhsplantfinder/plantfinder.asp

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