Autumn maintenance back

23rd Sep: by admin

Now is a very important time in the garden, a small amount of hard work now can really make all the difference to your garden next spring/summer.  Here at Harrington Porter we are now starting to get the gardens ready for the winter months which will soon be upon us.   Below are a few helpful tips for what to do in the garden over the next few months, in order to get everything ready.

• Tidy up your garden.  Especially after our fairly wet summer, it is very important to make sure that garden hygiene is top of your list. 
• At some time in October if you have an irrigation system, it will be time to take in your timer and put it away for the winter.
• Remove any plant debris and diseased leaves form flower beds.  Dig up any annuals, cut back any perennials and give the whole garden a really good weed.
• Lawn care.  If you want a great lawn next spring, then over the next couple of months is when you will need to put in the preparation.  Start to cut the grass less and don’t cut it as low as you do in the summer.  Scarify your lawn, which means raking out the dead grass and moss that has built up over the summer.   This will mean that your lawn will not look its best for a while, but trust us it will look a lot better next year.  Also give your lawn a good feed with a potassium rich autumn feed.
• Now there is no longer a need for the outdoor furniture, start to think about storing it away for the winter. If you don’t have a shed to store it in, it is a good idea to cover it with a waterproof sheet.  Always allow air to circulate around the furniture otherwise it will become damp and then stay damp for the whole winter, which won’t be good when you uncover it in spring!
• If you have a compost heap turn it before winter, so it has time to break down and rot before next spring.
• Now is a good time of year to plant spring bulbs and any new perennials for next year.  There is still time for new plants to establish themselves and late autumn / winter is a good time of year to move any shrubs or small trees.
• If you have a pond or water feature, cover with a net to stop debris / leaves falling into the water.

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