Encouraged by the boisterous mix of weather across August, we stumble ragged in to September. The beans took a hammering battered and bruised by sun, wind and rain they somehow still managed to produce a crop, early spuds sulked, but do look as they are bulking up a bit and all sorts of pests came out to play. Slugs and Wire worm chomped roots in search of moisture and sustenance and the black fly swept into the beans. In many gardens there has been a shortage of colour too. Continue with a bit of gentle maintenance, sometimes the end of the season delivers a bonus.

All of which leads us neatly in to other September options and the chance to refresh everything. The winter pansies and violas are in, already showing colour and with early planting, likely to settle quickly to deliver joy through the autumn and winter. There also good autumn flowering Chrysanthemums around too. They have become hugely popular in recent years, blooming prolifically up to the severe frost. They will run on into the winter, but severe cold will see them off generally. Also about are the autumn biennials like Sweet William, Forget me nots and Wallflowers. Do look out for Siberian Wallflowers too, they have a more compact habit than regular types and boast an intoxicating scent in the spring and then there are bulbs. Lots of dwarf daffodils and Tulips, which are all sturdy in habit and great in tubs. Once again the range is great so do explore.

In the veg plot there are a few fillers about and over wintering onions are the obvious ones, but you can still top up salads and greens too. It is worth setting out Spinach and Chard, which are very underrated, yet really useful as over wintering crop. They just go the journey reliably and break some strong flavour to the plate.

And finally, we are always planning ahead and very recently I have been thinking about next years’ tomatoes. I found a variety whilst on holiday (yes, it’s true I went on holiday) that was blue. That had me searching the land to find seed. My researches lead me to a fantasy world……..I discovered ‘The World Tomato Society’  :  https://www.worldtomatosociety.com/ …be warned if you go there you may never have a normal life again. I want to plant seed now!

Happy Gardening.

Chris Evans
www.dundrynurseries.co.uk
www.thebutterflygarden.org