Shutterstock / SKEEshzumo©September is upon us, and for most of us that means turning our thoughts to autumn and the list of jobs in the garden that the new season will bring for us. September’s the ideal time to start planting your bedding plants and spring bulbs ready for your winter and spring displays. Don’t panic if you haven’t made any plans, there’s still plenty of time to decide! Here’s a few ideas for some easy September gardening jobs…
Spring flowering bulbs
Daffodils
Nothing else says spring like seeing freshly grown tulips and daffodils emerge after the cold winter months. Now’s the time to start looking ahead and begin planting your spring bulbs.
Daffodils are a traditional stable of the British garden in spring. Ideal for pots, rockeries or borders, they provide a magnificent spectacle. They are also one of the easiest bulbs to grow successfully. If you’re looking for an unusual addition to your garden in spring 2025, we recommend double daffodils. Look out for mixed packs to give a display like below.
With beautiful double booms in various shapes and shades, this is a mix that will add plenty of colour to the garden this spring. Daffodils will naturalise if left undisturbed, so will become a stunning feature in a border or container year after year.
Tulips
If you’re planning on a tulip display next spring, why not try Queen of Night? This famously dark late-flowering tulip will look amazing beside other purple varieties, or will add a stunning contrast with lighter, colourful tulips.
This RHS award winning variety has deep velvety maroon flowers, with a silky sheen which gives it an almost black appearance. They make excellent cut flowers, growing up to a height of 60cm, making a real statement in the border.
Bedding plants
Pansies
If you can’t wait until spring to see spectacular colour in your garden, you might want to consider introducing some winter bedding plants to your display. A Winter/Spring Select mixture of Universal Pansies will look splendid in pots or as a colourful border display, and will flower from winter until late spring.
Pansies are a fantastic addition to any size of garden as they are compact, growing to only 20cm, and are extremely hardy. They will keep on flowering even in snowy weather!
Polyanthus
If you want to see colourful blooms even earlier, choose a rainbow mixture of Polyanthus Crescendo. These will flower in autumn providing vibrant flowers right through to spring, and will compliment your bulb display beautifully.
These will look good combined with pansies to create an eye-catching blanket of colour that will bloom throughout the winter months.
Fruit trees
As well as planting for the following seasons, there are still other jobs to do this month. You may have noticed that your fruit trees are nearly looking ready. That’s because September is the month for fruit tree harvesting.
Ripe Blenheim Orange apples Pic: Shutterstock
Apples, plums and pears should all be reaching their perfect ripeness. It can be difficult to decide when exactly the best time is to pick, as harvesting dates can change depending on a number of conditions, such as weather, geological location and the variety of fruit tree. If you’re unsure if your apples are ready, try giving them a gentle twist. A ripe apple will easily pull away from the spur. Conversely, pears should be picked whilst firm.
