September in the Garden: A Change of Attitude

September is a month when our attitude to the garden needs to change.

The summer is beginning to fade. Growth is slowing, some plants are starting to take on their autumn colour mantle, and the days are noticeably shorter.

Rather than trying to keep the garden looking as it did in July, September is the time to start thinking about the months ahead. The emphasis shifts from encouraging growth and maintaining summer display to preparing for winter, preserving structure and making the most of what the garden can offer in the colder months.

Resist the urge to cut everything down

One of the most useful changes in approach is simply to stop tidying quite so much.

Many herbaceous plants that have finished flowering still have considerable value. Seedheads can provide attractive shapes and textures through autumn and winter, while their stems catch frost and provide something for the eye to rest on when much of the garden has died back.

Plants such as ornamental grasses, Sedum, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Allium, Echinops and teasels can all look better if left standing rather than immediately cut to the ground.

There is also a practical benefit. Seedheads provide food for birds, while the hollow stems and dense clumps of dead vegetation offer shelter and overwintering sites for insects.

The garden does not have to be immaculate in order to be well cared for.

In fact, a beautifully maintained winter garden often depends on knowing what not to cut down.

Start thinking about winter structure

As the colour of summer begins to disappear, structure becomes increasingly important.

Evergreen shrubs, clipped hedges, trees with interesting bark and branches, ornamental grasses and persistent seedheads all become more prominent. September is therefore a good time to look at the garden with winter in mind.

Ask yourself:

What will this border look like in January?

If the answer is simply a collection of bare soil and cut-back plants, there may be opportunities to improve it.

This doesn't necessarily mean planting more. Sometimes it is simply a matter of allowing existing plants to remain standing and choosing carefully where to prune.

Good garden maintenance isn't just about how the garden looks today. It is about maintaining a sequence of interest throughout the year.

Prepare, but don't over-prepare

There are certainly jobs to be getting on with.

September is a good time to keep on top of weeds while the soil is still relatively warm, tidy up plants that have genuinely collapsed or become untidy, remove diseased material and make sure recently planted plants are properly watered if conditions remain dry.

It's also an excellent time for planting many hardy perennials, shrubs and trees. The soil is still warm, giving new plants time to establish roots before winter, while the cooler weather reduces the stress of planting.

But preparation for winter shouldn't mean putting the garden into winter mode prematurely.

There is still plenty of life in September.

A bit on lawncare

The lawn also benefits from a change in approach at this time of year. After the stresses of summer, September is one of the best opportunities to restore a lawn before winter.

With cooler temperatures and usually more reliable rainfall, grass is able to put on healthy growth without the extremes of heat and drought that can make summer lawncare difficult.

If the lawn has become compacted or worn over the summer, scarifying and aerating can help improve its condition. Removing some of the accumulated thatch and opening up the soil allows air, water and nutrients to reach the roots more effectively.

September is also an ideal time for lawn renovation and reseeding. Bare or thin areas can be repaired while the soil is still warm enough for seed to germinate, giving new grass several weeks to establish before winter.

A light application of a suitable autumn lawn fertiliser can also help strengthen the grass going into the colder months. Avoid high-nitrogen summer feeds at this stage, as the aim is no longer to encourage soft, vigorous growth but to help the lawn remain healthy through winter.

Keep mowing for as long as the grass continues to grow, but gradually raise the height of cut as autumn progresses. There is no need to scalp the lawn in preparation for winter.

September is about looking ahead

The garden is not finished when summer ends. In many ways, September is when the next season begins.

This is the month to start making decisions about what will remain standing, what genuinely needs cutting back and where a little preparation will make life easier later in the year.

So as September arrives, resist the urge to tidy everything away. Leave the grasses standing. Keep the seedheads. Look after the lawn. Plant while the soil is warm. Deal with problems before winter makes them harder to tackle.

September is not simply about preparing the garden for winter; it is about preparing it for next year. What we do now can have a major influence on how the garden performs next spring and summer. With increasingly unreliable springs and the growing risk of drought, particularly for newly planted plants, autumn planting gives trees, shrubs and perennials a valuable opportunity to establish their roots before the next growing season begins.

So don't be too quick to tidy everything away. Think ahead, work with the seasons, and give the garden the best possible start for next year. Good September care is an investment in the season ahead — and in making our gardens shine when spring returns.