(Courtesy: ChildofColour at Flickr.com)
Gardening is a calendar activity. You must react to the seasons to assure a great garden all year ‘round.
With that in mind, gardeners have an assortment of activities to perform in the month of September.
Foremost in your September plans is the cleaning of the garden and making plans for next spring. It is advised that you water trees and shrubs less so that they harden before the winter cold arrives. You should also remove spent annuals and compost them. Continue to pursue and eradicate weeds.
Since the soil temperature begins to drop below 60°F in September, this would be a good time to plant bulbs for spring flowering. Consider Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, Siberian Squill, Dwarf Irises, Anemone, and Crocus in your plans for next year. Whatever you select should be planted now. Be sure to select healthy, disease-free bulbs to avoid any problems next year. Add bone meal or bulb fertilizer into the planting hole when you prepare the soil.
September is also a good time to plant Winter Pansies, Ornamental Kale and Cabbage. It is also an ideal time to install blooming Chrysanthemums. These plants will provide some color to your garden when the summer flowers start to fade.
If you want wildflowers to bloom in your garden next spring, then scatter the seeds in rows in open beds in September. This will permit seedlings to appear and be ready for transplanting into permanent locations.
It is time to dig up and divide or move perennials that have overgrown their space or have become crowded to other locations of your garden. New and replacement perennials should also be planted.
Tender bulbs including Dahlias should be dug up and stored in a cool, dark area after the first frost.
If you wish to have more trees and shrubs on your property, then now is the time to plant them. Planting trees and shrubs in the fall promotes a good root development. This permits them to establish before the coming of spring. If the weather is dry in your region, then water until the ground freezes.
Stop fertilizing your existing trees and flowering shrubs so that they can harden before winter.
As far as your lawn is concerned, fertilize your lawn with a slow-release fertilizer when the fall rains begin. It is also a good time to seed or sod new lawn and to thatch your lawn.
Take this time to over-seed old lawns with fresh seed to fill in bare spots and crowd out weeds.
(Source: The Garden Helper)
