Planting bulbs begins in September and with this act we are showing fresh hope for next spring and next year. Gardening is, if nothing else, an exercise of planning with optimism. Digging into a bed will show that any existing spring bulbs are already putting out new, fresh shoots into the warm soil.
Gardeners who have been enjoying the lush, tropical look that tender exotics give to a garden over the summer months now need to negotiate bringing in plants that might have put on considerable height and bulk over the summer. Those with a spacious greenhouse or polytunnel are at an advantage to provide winter protection. The ground is moist, and the air is warm and anyone sowing new areas of grass will be rewarded with speedy establishment. Warm soil conditions are also favourable for planting shrubs, trees and hedges to enable them to settle in well before winter.
Enjoy the flowers
We continue to enjoy the flowers of dahlias up to the first frosts. The decision to cut down and dig up tubers to bring indoors, or to cover them with a thick, frost-excluding mulch need not be taken until the end of October. That is usually dependent on geographical location, but the prospect of another wet winter and the risk of tubers rotting could be the deciding factor.
While warming temperatures may present opportunities to experiment with more exotic planting, wet winters will make it more challenging to grow bulbs and Mediterranean plants that depend on good drainage. Cold-hardy plants that require a chilling or dormancy period could suffer from temperature change. Our traditional gardening practices need to adapt to the challenges of water management, changing plant behaviours, earlier and out-of-season flowering, control of invasive species, a rise in new pests and diseases and more.
But for now, as autumn marches along, we feel the days shortening discernibly and cooling a little.
For the full article and lots more pruning tips for the garden pick up the Late Summer Issue 2024 of The Irish Garden magazine or subscribe here.
