Get your garden ready for another new year with Alan’s action plan for autumn
Happy new year! No, I haven’t got my seasons muddled. It’s just that what we tend to think of as the end of the gardening year – autumn, easing into winter – is, from a gardener’s point of view, really the start of the new season.
There are things to be planted, the new growing season to prepare for and the chance to make all those improvements that became so obvious in the challenging conditions we faced this year and last. Left until January or February, you’ll find yourself running out of time, and you’ll also have failed to make the most of a time of year when the ground is still warm from summer sunshine yet softened and moistened by autumn rain. In short, the soil is in perfect condition, not only for planting but also for encouraging new trees, shrubs and perennials to establish fresh roots before winter bites.
The truth about tidying
I always shudder when folk talk of ‘tidying’ their gardens, as though it were like sorting their sock drawer. That said, at this time of year there is every excuse for having a bit of a clear-up, provided you don’t remove too much of the faded plant material that overwintering creatures need. Aim for a balance, so your garden doesn’t offend your eye but still provides hospitality to birds and insects through the colder, darker, wetter months.
Some border perennials, such as ornamental grasses, are stout enough to provide structure over winter and their seedheads offer food for insects and birds. But plants that have collapsed, with leaves that have turned to mush, are much more useful added to the compost heap. Have a selective sort out, so your borders look more pleasing, without being rendered totally lifeless and sterile.
Fallen leaves need to be raked from the lawn at least once a week. If you wait until the nearby trees are bare (in the hope you’ll only have to do the job once), you may find that the lawn beneath has died back. If the soil is heavily compacted, or the lawn is shaded, patchy, or full of moss, this could be the last straw. Pile up or bag up the autumn leaves, then leave them to rot down into leafmould, which can be used for soil enrichment in a year’s time. Yes, it will take that long, but it’ll be worth it.
Once a border has been sorted out and
