Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2015 | Page 88

GARDENING

Autumn gardening
Top gardening tips from
Thompson’s Garden Centre

G

ardening in autumn is so
rewarding and so it’s time to get
busy and get your garden into

shape.
It’s time to tidy borders. Dig up summer
annuals and replace with spring bulbs
and hardy bedding plants such as pansies,
violas and wallflowers. Prune late summer
flowering shrubs and perennials, cut back
roses, but only to tidy them. Hard pruning
needs to wait until the spring. Dahlias and
Begonias will bloom right until the first
frost, but then the tubers and corms need
to be lifted, dried and stored in a cool, but
frost-free place.
Remember autumn is natures best time
for planting new roses, shrubs and trees,
roots get well established while the soil
is warm. Add extra bone meal as this
encourages good healthy growth.
Re-plant patio pots and hanging baskets
with bulbs, primroses, pansies, also winter
flowering heathers and hardy cyclamen
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to give a cheerful display of colour right
through the winter into the spring.
Lawn care is important and if you
hanker for a lush green healthy look next
spring, act now! Raking or scarifying the
lawn clears away plant debris, such as
dead stems and moss. Spiking, called
aerating the lawn, helps against water
logging; use a garden fork to make 3”
deep holes across the lawn. Then boost
growth with autumn fertilizer with added
moss killer if necessary.
Bare patches can be over-seeded in the
autumn, apply seed evenly and rake into
the soil surface, water well. Turf can also
be laid now for a new lawn.
Keep harvesting the last of the runner
beans and courgettes. Also lift potatoes
and other root vegetables for storage. Dig
over vegetable gardens and plant autumn
onion sets, and garlic. Try a few early
plantings of broad beans and peas, they
may work and give an early spring crop.

Choose a spot fairly sheltered from cold
winds. Winter salad crops are becoming
popular, plant them outside of October/
November. Remember to take precautions
against slugs and birds. A covering of
fleece protects from hard frosts.
A good clean up of the greenhouse is
in order. Pick the last of the tomatoes,
cucumbers, peppers etc. Save cuttings
of Geraniums, Osteospernums, Fuchsias
and other favourite tender plants. Sow
extra seeds of perennials and pansies for
the spring.
Plant bulbs for spring colour. These
can be added to tubs and baskets or in
borders. Early flowering bulbs bring the
first sign of spring. Some favourites to
plant now include snowdrops, crocus and
daffodils. The bright colours of tulips can
be planted until November.
Make a visit to your local garden centre
if you need extra help and advice.
Happy gardening!