Autumn garden preparations: Insights from professionals on crucial steps for your garden's readiness this season
Autumn is upon us, and it's time to get our gardens ready for the colder months ahead. Here's a guide on how to make the most of this season, ensuring a thriving garden come spring.
Firstly, autumn is the perfect time to add structure to your garden. Planting shrubs and evergreens now allows the soil to be warm enough to establish strong roots. Don't forget to clear away spent crops and add compost to vegetable beds. Green manure like mustard, clover, or rye can also be planted to enrich the soil and prevent erosion over winter.
Clearing debris such as fallen leaves and twigs is essential to prevent damp conditions that encourage pests and disease. This is also the ideal moment to lay a new lawn. Re-seeding or putting down new turf in autumn establishes a strong foundation for a lush, healthy lawn come spring.
For those with a pond, netting it can stop autumn leaves from falling into the water. Hedgehogs and birds love foraging amongst fallen leaves, so creating small mounds of sticks and twigs provides shelter and attracts insects.
Autumn is also the season for pruning. Pruning hedges during this period helps maintain shape and encourages healthy regrowth for the following season. Don't forget to sharpen and clean your gardening tools, oil metal surfaces to prevent rust, and store them somewhere dry before winter weather takes hold.
When it comes to lawn care, lifting the height of your mower blades as the growth rate of grass will begin to slow down from September. Aerating the soil helps air, water, and nutrients reach the roots, encouraging thicker, healthier grass come spring.
Wildflower seeds can be planted between September and mid-November, and will wake up refreshed and ready to grow with strong, resilient roots in the spring. Building a garden stumpery, digging out a garden pond, or placing a bat box on the exterior of a house can help attract bats to a garden.
Lastly, don't forget about your outdoor furniture. Wipe down wooden, rattan, or metal furniture, cover them if possible, and store cushions indoors to extend their life.
Using a cordless leaf blower like the Cobra LB55040VX from Amazon can make the job quick and easy. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to a thriving garden in the new year.
Remember, autumn is an important season for laying strong foundations in gardens across the UK. Plan plenty of spaces for wildlife to shelter from the cooler weather and predators, and include lots of native plants, hedging, and trees. Happy gardening!
