I think we had a bit of an Indian summer last week because now it looks a lot like autumn. With gray skies and leaves falling, I think autumn is here to stay. If you have a garden, you might breathe a sigh of relief. Things tend to grow less frantically in autumn and winter than they do in summer. There are still some things that you need to stay on top of, though. You want your garden to look as good as it can for winter, so now is the time to get on it. Here are some of the gardening jobs that can occupy you over the coming weekends (along with putting away the toys and covering the barbecue).
Declutter and Pull the Dead Plants
Some flowers and plants will be past their best right about now. They might be looking pretty sad and perhaps turning a little brown. So now is the time to dig them up or prune them. It will make everything look smarter in your garden. If you have something like a strawberry plant, it won’t be flowering anymore. It shouldn’t be pulled completely, though, as you’ll want it to grow again next year. So some plants just need to be pruned. Strawberry plants, for example, need to have their leaves cut off. The more sunshine that the stems can get, the stronger they will grow ready for next year.
Smarten Up Your Borders
Over the summer months, your garden can get a little overgrown. So to get it looking smarter, the flowerbeds and borders can do with being neatened up. You could trim the borders with a strimmer which will make the edges look more defined. You could mow the lawn too. It might be one of the final times that you’ll need to do it for a while, as it won’t grow as fast over the next few months. You could put in some actual dividers if you don’t currently have any. Some wooden slats or pegs can divide up a flowerbed or define a border. If you have some fencing that is looking a little worse for wear, then that could do with updating too. You will want to get it replaced before the ground gets too sodden. You could look at somewhere like Fencing Nottingham, to see what kind of prices you would be looking at.
Start a Compost
In autumn and winter, there will be lots of plants pulled up or bushes trimmed. They wouldn’t survive the colder weather otherwise. Instead of just throwing them away, you could start making a compost area. These branches and plants would be the best places to start composting with. If you don’t have a bin or wooden frame to use, then they are really easy to put or put together. You can also use food waste, like orange peels and apple cores. As they start to decompose, you can eventually use the compost on your garden. So it is a great way to start being more ‘green’ and making your own fertilizer. It gives your plants plenty of nutrients, and it isn’t packed full of chemicals. A win-win really!
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post, all opinions are my own
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