If you’re already feeling the chill of Autumn then it’s definitely time to start your Autumn gardening preparation! The mornings are feeling a bit chilly and the nights are pulling in – it’s sad to say goodbye to summer but Autumn is a beautiful if rather busy month for us gardeners! We’ve got cutting back, planting, scarifying and sowing to do and that’s not all!
You might like to consider bringing those more delicate flowers under cover before there’s a risk of frost. Keep your eye on the weather forecasts and use your gardener’s sixth sense if you need to! Early Autumn is a good time to plant evergreens while the soil is still quite warm and if you’ve decided you can find a better place for your conifers then now is your last chance to dig them up and move them. Make the usual preparations of course!
Conifers have surprisingly long roots that are likely to be wider than they are long so be careful where you dig. Make sure you build up to moving your conifer by giving it plenty of water in the 2 weeks before you want to move it. If your conifer has been in the same spot for around 3 or 4 years then the move should be successful. If it has been there longer then you might need to consider leaving it where it is or taking further advice. Younger conifers need even more careful preparation to ensure the move goes well.
Now is a good chance to buy things with bare roots such as roses and shrubs to plant in your garden. These are easy to look after and will grow nice and healthy in the right spot. This is also a great time to plant things ready for spring. Whatever you plant it must be able to withstand a frost such as calendula and cornflower. Planting now will give a nice early Spring display.
The beginning of Autumn sometimes brings a really messy look to your garden. You’ll find lots of leaves and other garden debris that makes your once neat and tidy lawn look unloved and unkempt. This might be the right time to invest in a good quality affordable leaf blower such as the Stiga SAB 100 AE Cordless Leaf Blower – it’s only £99 (from us) and it’s powerful motor generates an air speed up to 32m/s to easily clear debris and leaves from your garden. It’s nice and lightweight too and comes with it’s own Stiga E-Power 20V E 24 (4Ah) battery and charger.
Seasonal pruning is an absolute MUST at this point in the year and so if you have any deciduous trees or shrubs in your garden then you might like to invest in a hedge trimmer such as the Stiga SHT 100 – it’s cordless and lightweight which means it’s safe and easy to use and at only £99 it won’t break the bank! It has an ergonomic, soft grip 180° rotating handle and an 18mm tooth spacing that easily cuts through medium-thick branches. It even comes with it’s own STIGA E-Power 20V E 22 (2Ah) battery and charger for added value for money.
Once you’ve taken care of the clearing, tidying, planting and pruning your attention should turn to your lawn. Autumn is the time to scarify – but do you know why you need to do it? Scarifying can remove that unsightly thatch or moss from the top of your lawn. It starves your grass of vital nutrients that it needs for healthy growth, so it’s definitely worth the effort. We sell a variety of scarifiers here but if you’re looking for a middle of the road, not too expensive one then consider the Stihl RLA 240 cordless lawn scarifier. It’s cordless so you won’t get any fumes while you work and it’s quick and effortless to operate. At only £219 it’s a great price too. You’ll need to buy the battery and charger as well of course. You get verticutter scarifying tines & dethatcher included and it comes with a 2 year domestic warranty.
Timing your scarifying job just right will mean that your lawn grows healthier in the least amount of time and the process won’t leave your grass looking awful for weeks on end. So the bottom line of when to scarify is this; do it when the weather is warm rather than very hot or very cold. Do it when there is sunshine, but not during a heat wave or a drought. You want some rain, but not torrential rain and you certainly don’t want to do it if the weather is extremely cold. For these reasons alone – Autumn is the suggested month to scarify but obviously not if we are in the throes of unseasonably bad or good weather!
If you’ve got a pond in your garden then now you will want to make sure you are getting rid of any rotting leaves – use a small net as this won’t disturb anything in your pond. Be gentle and mindful of your fish! You probably have some aquatic plants in there too which are great for shelter but can get too much, so now is a good time to get rid of any excess. Flowers and leaves can be trimmed around the edge of your pond as if they decay into the water they can pollute it and this will not be good for your fish. If your surrounding plants and shrubs are giving too much shade to your pond then you might like to consider pruning those back.
These are just a few of our top tips for garden preparation over the autumn.
If you’re uncertain about anything, or would like further details, then call our highly experienced sales team now on 01263 820202 for helpful, friendly advice.
