The clocks went back at the end of last month and with that, the flowers will go dormant. Yes, the autumn season consists of darker months and cascading leaves, but that doesn’t mean your gardening has to come to a halt. It also means it’s not long until Christmas, and bonfire night is just around the corner!
Here we’re going to look at how you can do some important garden maintenance now for a vibrant springtime display. There are so many reasons why you should love the autumn months.
- How to look after your lawn and general garden maintenance
- Ways you can use all the fallen leaves
- Time to tidy up in the garden
- Think ahead with bulbs
- How to protect your pond over winter
- Types of shelter for winter wildlife
Prep Your Garden For The Cold Winter Months
How To Look After Your Lawn
After the long hot summer and sudden switch to downpours and cold, your lawn will no doubt need some tender loving care to get it back in top shape. A little bit of landscaping can go a long way!
First thing’s first – tidy up the turf. Give your lawn a good rake and get rid of all the unwelcome ground coverage to help the soil to breathe and dry more efficiently. Leaving things like moss and fallen leaves can cause an unhealthy lawn.
Next up – mow it. Get the grass down to a manageable height to keep it clean and pest-free throughout the winter. And don’t be afraid to give it the odd cut during the colder months too. It’s important to make sure the soil and the blades have enough air circulation to prevent issues such as Fusarium patch and Snow mould which are common throughout the autumn season.
Aerating your soil can help tackle this as well. You can get special aeration tools which cut out small cores of soil and reduce compaction, but a garden fork will be sufficient in a pinch. The idea is to improve drainage to remove some of the moisture which can cause issues.
Ways To Use Fallen Leaves
Once you’ve raked up those leaves, why not put them to use by throwing them on the compost heap or storing them in bags for future use? They’re a great source of brown material as they biodegrade well to feed your plants. Mix them with some green waste – your garden or hedge clippings for example – and let it all decompose until you have nutritious DIY compost ready to use.
Tidy Your Garden This Autumn Season
With all your summer-blooming flowers going dormant. Now’s the time to get the annual pruning done with some general garden maintenance. Don’t go too far into it – stick to deadheading and shaping. Some plants can take a hard prune, but others can’t – so make sure to check.
After that, you’ll be able to see much more of your ground cover than usual, which is a great opportunity to pluck out any pesky weeds that you may have missed. Just make sure you pull out all the root or spray them with an efficient weedkiller.
Think Ahead With Bulbs
Bulbs are the original plan-ahead plant. You can pop them in the ground now, then in a few months’ time when the sun starts shining again, there will be a riot of colour!
Some good ones to plant in autumn are…
- Daffodils (Sept.)
- Crocuses (Sept.)
- Hyacinths (Sept.)
- Lilies (Oct.)
- Alliums (Oct.)
If you don’t have a lot of border space and you don’t fancy popping them in your lawn, you can put a few bulbs (which flower at different times) in a pot. It’s called a bulb lasagne.
How To Protect Your Pond Over Winter
Ponds require a little extra planning over winter to keep all your water flora and fauna safe through the cold.
- Install a pond net to catch all the falling autumn debris such as leaves and branches. It’ll save you scooping it all out every few days.
- Don’t let it freeze over – any potentially harmful gases such as carbon dioxide, need to escape somewhere. If not, they can harm aquatic life.
- Save some electricity and turn off any pumps or filters. Your fish will be less active as they go into hibernation, so there will be less muck made or stirred up by movement.
Types Of Shelter For Winter Wildlife
A lot of wild animals hibernate in the autumn and winter, but there are plenty that don’t. They tend to search for places to keep safe and warm – often in gardens or green areas. So, why not take those leaves and twigs you’ve raked up and make a cosy pile in your garden for a hedgehog? Consider restocking or freshly installing a bird feeder or two to help keep them fed when food is scarce. You should probably check your nest boxes too and give them a little clear out of any unwelcome debris.
What are your go to tips when it comes to garden maintenance this Autumn season? Do you prepare for the Spring and Summer months in the same way?
Collaborative Post
Other Articles You May Find Of Interest
- Top 5 Growing Tips For Organic Gardening
- Healthy Eating Made Easy With Homegrown Goods
- Turning Your Garden Into An Eco-Oasis
- Reasons To Grow Your Green Thumb
- How To Expand Your Home Into Your Garden
- A Guide To Foraging For Blackberries This Autumn
- The Best English Gardens To Visit
- Need Summer Garden Inspiration?
This was a great post sweetie!
Danielle | thereluctantblogger.co.uk