Gardening Calendar  

A new season and a new lawn:  September is the ideal time of year to turn your thoughts to creating a new lawn - either sown from seed or from turfs.  It is advisable to wait until the traditionally wetter last week of the month, and if you are sowing a new lawn it is absolutely essential to ensure that the top four inches of soil is in good condition.
Rake in the grass seed and once the sowing process is complete, apply a light roller onto the proposed lawn surface to really seal the seed into the ground.
After seeding, no matter how dry conditions may seem, resist the temptation to water the lawn,.  Far from aiding the process, watering can cause damage by causing the surface to cap and strangle the seed.
If you are using turfs to create a brand new grassed area, make sure they have been treated against weeds.  A fine soil top is necessary in order to encourage new root growth.  In very dry conditions, in contrast to a seeded lawn, apply plenty of water to avoid shrinkage taking place.  Once again, use a light roller to firm the turfs into the ground.

Pamper the pond: No doubt your pond is not looking at its best at the moment but don’t let that be an excuse to neglect it.  Remove all the pond weeds so that fish have plenty of room to move.  Unless kept well under control, water lilies can easily dominate the limited space so do monitor the growth of these plants.  To ensure clear water have the pump going at least two to three hours a day.

Festive blooms:  September signals the onset of the bulb season.  While you may only just be returning from your summer holidays, in the gardening calendar it is already time to think ahead to the festive period and plant up hyacinth bulbs ready for flowering over Christmas.  Always use specially prepared bulb fibre (not too dry or too wet) or place the bulbs in water in specially adapted glass bulbs.  If planting in bulb fibre make sure that the bulbs are at least three-quarters in the soil and store in a dark, cool place.  Don’t be tempted to bring the bulbs into the daylight until they have achieved growth of at least 6-10cm. 

Flowers for next spring:  Now is the time to plant bulbs in the garden for next year.  Daffodils should be planted first.  Plant bulbs firmly and cover with twice their own depth of soil.  If you live in a particularly exposed area, try using the miniature varieties of bulb such as Tete à Tete daffodils, short-stemmed tulips or dwarf iris which are known to be more hardy and able to cope with difficult conditions.

Finally, remember you can still visit the rose fields at the Garden Centre to decide which are best suited to your garden needs before the busy Autumn planting period sets in.  Check out some of the new unusual varieties such as Super Trouper, a stunning, orange floribunda or  Absolutely Fabulous, a yellow floribunda rose which has won the prestigious Rose of the Year 2010 accolade.