One job, done this month, will give gardeners who love flower displays a boost next year
Gardeners can get ahead by doing one job this month (Image: Getty )
September is a busy month for gardeners as autumn arrives and there are some jobs that can be done this month and will give enthusiasts an edge for next year. For those who love plants and blooms, there’s one job in particular which can be completed this month.
Gardening guru Pollyanna Wilkinson said that gathering one thing from the garden now will help you to get ahead. She recommends gathering the ripe seeds from annuals – plants that have completed their life cycle in one year – and storing them for replanting.
Pollyanna, who posts her advice on TikTok under the handle @pollywilkinsongarden, said to identify the plants in your garden which have gone to seed.
She said: “Collect the ripe seed. Put them into an envelope and store them somewhere frost free and we’ll sow them next year.”
It’s advice that is echoed by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), who explained how to go about doing this.
They said: “Collect ripe seed on a dry day, as soon as the seedheads (e.g. capsules or pods) ripen. This is often indicated by a colour change from green to brown, black or red, but must be before they open and shed their contents.”
The RHS also recommends laying out the picked seedheads (either individually or on stalks) to dry in a warm place – such as a greenhouse bench, a sunny windowsill or even an airing cupboard.
“This enables seed to be more easily extracted from pods, cones or capsules,” the experts clarify, adding that if stored correctly, the seeds should remain “viable for many years”.
“You don’t need to plant them now – store them somewhere like the shed – and we’ll get round to them in November or December.”
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In a video posted on TikTok last year, but with timeless advice, green-thumbed Pollyanna shared her top five other jobs for gardeners to do in September.
Those looking to ahead for next year’s bloom need to sow hardy annuals now, she says.
She also suggests September as the perfect month to lift gladioli corms in preparation for spring replanting.
Pollyanna said: “Now is the time to lift up the corms and allow them to dry out before storing them somewhere frost free.”
Other jobs on her September to do list include placing an order for spring bulbs.
She added: “Why order now? Because they sell out.”
For lawns, she said it’s time to “scarify”. For those not in the know, she clarifies: “Scarifying is essentially raking the lawn to get out thatch and moss and it’s really going to improve the health of your lawn.”
Scarifying the lawn is a job for September(Image: Getty Images)
Pollyanna highlights another task that can be tackled in either September or October, that is dividing perennials.
She even provides a handy list of suitable plants in the video’s caption, saying: “Suitable options include: Agapanthus, Anemone, Aster, Bergenia, Delphinium, Epimedium, Eryngium, Geranium, Helianthus, Lychnis, nepeta ornamental grasses, Salvia, Sedum, Verbena.”
She explained: “We’re dividing them because not only does it create more plants we can use elsewhere in the garden, but every two, three or four years we divide them to retain their vigour and ensure they keep flowering.
“Essentially all you have to do is dig them up, whack a spade through it to divide the clump, replant them, water them and that’s it – free plants, healthier plants.”
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