All Change in September

As we exit September and head into October, we can see the real change in the season. The nights are drawing in and there is a distinct chill in the morning air. I enjoy the transition, as it brings a wealth of colour to the arboretums as the trees change into their autumn coats. An endless array of leaf colours scatter to the winds and fruit adorns the branches to further brighten the show as well as feeding a multitude of animals.
We are still very busy, and visitor numbers have been good this year. I’m encouraged to see so many people using the grounds and gardens and getting out into the wider estate. There are over 5km of paths which provide endless opportunities for walking and exploring. It’s great to see so many locals making use of the season passes too, and a brisk walk followed by a coffee by the fire in our stable yard café is a popular choice now as the temperatures drop.
This is traditionally the time for cutting back, tidying and preparing for the winter. I have started to watch the overnight temperatures, and we have already started to move some of our tender specimen plants from the Jungle Border and Fern Garden into their winter homes in our poly tunnel.
Jobs for October include tying in and cutting back of raspberry and loganberry canes if you haven’t already, bulb planting around the garden, apply autumn fertiliser to lawns, lift and divide herbaceous plants if you need to, and cut them back as they die down, stop feeding indoor plants now, tidy up beds, borders and glasshouses and make plans for next year.
We expect our bulb order to arrive this week, and we are excited as it is quite substantial. We have been gradually adding to and improving our spring bulb displays over the last few years, with particular emphasis on naturalising large drifts of narcissus and crocus for maximum impact. This has worked very well, and we are now expanding a few of those areas as well as creating new ones. The coming spring should be a showstopper!
Winter bedding will be planted out over the next few weeks. We have started using heathers in quite a lot of our tubs and they seem to last well through our damp winters. Skimmias provide a good Christmassy look with their red berries, and we are trying some red and white cyclamen around the main entrance beds. We generally mix in a few other things such as gaultheria, variegated ivy and small cordylines just to add to the interest and brighten up the beds over the duller months. I have given up using winter pansy and viola as they don’t generally perform well with us.
Don’t write off the season quite yet though. There is still some good late summer colour in the borders, especially around our Seven Sisters, where Rudbeckia, Verbena, Anemones and Eupatorium are still flowering away. A spectacular autumn show will soon follow. I look forward to seeing you in the gardens. Adam

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