Garden design

September Gardening thoughts UK   by Steve Myatt

September Gardening Thoughts UK.

copyright Steve Myatt Sept 2008
www.warbreck.co.uk

Tulips- The Victorians delight!

Bulbs have been around for thousands of years as food, flowers religious symbols and signs of power. The Countries which have grown them stretch the globe.

The tulip itself arrived fairly late in the day to the West. A present from the Turkish Ambassador to the Imperial Gardens in Vienna started it off in 1544, and they did not arrive in Britain until 1577. The tulip story really start when Carolus Clusius left his job in the Vienna gardens to become Professor of Botany at Leiden University in Holland that the tulip story really takes off.

The tulip that started the famous Tulipmania in Holland was the broken tulip- typified by streaks in the flowers or feathered petals etc. Its popularity grew and prices of Tulips rocketed. They became so sought after they were traded on the futures market as paper speculation! Promissary notes were exchanged and sold on from one investor to another at ever increasing prices. It all collapsed when in 1647 the Dutch Government decreed all notes had to be honoured with bulbs and the market crashed!

The tulips popularity still grew, and they were much admired in Britain, and in the 17th and 18th Centuries several bulbs became florists flowers including the Tulip. Bulb prices fell in Victorian times and they became available to all gardeners not just the preserve of the rich.

The same is true today, with the vast range of colours and types the Tulip has remained a favourite for many sites and situations. They flower into early Summer and are good for formal bedding displays, tubs and containers, or informal borders and under trees. Whilst Tulipmania has subsided, the beauty and brilliance of these bulbs cannot be denied. See for yourself the range available now and enjoy the delights of the Tulip.

Now’s the time to grow your lawn

September is a great Month. The soil is still warm and the first signs of the Autumn glow in the hedges starts to appear. It is also a great time to repair or sow a new lawn. If it has seen a lot of activity during the Summer (football matches etc) then the lawn may look a bit thin, or perhaps you have decided to remodel an area with a new lawn. When the soil is warm and moist as it usually is now then the time is right for sowing the grass.

The warmth and moisture make it easy for the seed to germinate and establish before the weather turns too cold for germination. By following a few simple steps and choosing the right seed you can achieve the results easily and simply.

Firstly plan the area you are turning into lawn.- make sure you leave sensible borders and try to curve and sweep the lawn to give an interesting effect.

Next prepare the ground- clear the area of stones and debris, then dig the area over well. This helps create good drainage and a good seed bed for the lawn. If your soil is heavy add some organic matter eg peat or composted bark which will help improve the texture. Rake the soil thoroughly removing any weeds or small stones. Firm the soil by treading it down, then rake again, and finally tread firmly again then rake level. (Using rollers can compact the soil too much feet are better!)

Sprinkle some pre seeding fertiliser like Growmore over the area at the specified rate then choose your seed! Seed with ryegrass is generally best for hardwearing family lawns, seed without ryegrass is best if you want a fine good to look at lawn. Sow the chosen seed at about 1.5 oz per square yard, and rake in lightly. It MUST be kept moist so that the seedlings can establish and not dry out and die. The seed will start to show in 14-21 days. If at this point you have decided that you need the lawn NOW, then by preparing the soil as above you can purchase good quality turf and lay that for instant effect- though it is a bit more costly.

You will probably just trim the grass once or so before Winter, and do so at about 2-3″ high so as not to pull out the young seedlings. The grass will develop a good root system over autumn, and be raring to grow next Spring!
 
What do I do with all this Garden Rubbish!

Well, you could put all your garden rubbish into bags and take them to the tip, or you could use it to save you money!
One of the things all we gardeners tell you to do is add organic matter to the soil. This improves the soil structure and helps drainage, root development and moisture retention. You can use bagged products like bark or peat, but a great way to produce your own is to start a compost heap!

Now there are lots of ways to make a compost heap, but I’ll just concentrate on one type for now. The plastic pre shaped compost bins can be purchased very economically and will last for many years. They are generally rounded in shape and coloured green to fit in with the garden. Place them on soil in a corner of the garden and you are ready to go. As the compost matures it releases a liquid which will mark flags if placed on a solid surface, so placing on soil is best.

Start by building a 1 foot layer of waste (eg grass clippings) and add sprinkling of compost accelerator e.g. Garotta. Continue to build up the layers with the Garotta until the bin is full.

As you are filling the bin over time, the lower layers will be decomposing and producing heat which will spread to the next layer etc. The volume of the waste will reduce as it decomposes, and after a few weeks in Spring or Summer, your compost will be ready.

To use the compost, lift the bin to expose the compost and use the top layer of compost (ie least decomposed) to start of the next bin full. You can use all the compost that is ready for spreading on the garden. In Winter the compost decomposes only slowly.

You can use all sorts of waste in the bin, weeds, grass, kitchen waste, leafy hedge clippings, dead leaves, even damp newspaper. Once you get into the swing of producing compost you’ll wonder why you did not do it before- and think how much good you are doing your garden!  
 

About the Author

Steve Myatt -Profile

Based in South West Lancashire, a graduate from Newcastle University with an Honours Degree in Plant Science, he has had 32 years experience in the Garden Centre market and is currently Managing Director of Warbreck Garden Centre -and Gardening Correspondent for the Ormskirk Advertiser
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