Garden News | September

It’s hard to believe but we’re about to enter the final month of summer – my, how time flies! Before we start to even think about Autumn however, there is still plenty to enjoy here in the gardens at Leonardslee. The borders around the Rock Garden and in front of Leonardslee House for instance have lots of late summer colour including the likes of Sedum, Echinacea, Dahlia and a whole range of Salvias such as ‘Amistad’, ‘Love And Wishes’, ‘Wishes And Kisses’ and ‘Embers Wish’. The latter three incidentally were my Plant of the Month collection for August, but if you missed them then, there are still some available to buy in the plant centre during September. It’s also a great time to get them in the ground, more of which below.

Although spring is currently the major season of interest here at Leonardslee, what with the mass plantings of Rhododendron, Azalea, Magnolia, Camellia, daffodils, snowdrops and bluebells etc, autumn probably runs it a close second and September is the month when the first signs of the amazing firework display of autumnal colour can start to be glimpsed. Maple Walk and the banks around the lakes are a good place to start. Out in the Deer Park, our conifer collection in the Pinetum also provides interest all year round but September is the time when the many different coloured and shaped cones on the likes of cedars, firs, pines and spruces start to catch the eye.

September is a very busy time for the garden team here at Leonardslee.  The days may be getting shorter but that doesn’t mean the gardeners will be working any less as the focus of the work shifts slightly from finessing presentation standards to more structural restoration work.  An important part of the conservation work here in the garden for instance is maintaining our historic hedges to keep them looking crisp and to control their size.  We’re not short of a few hedges here at Leonardslee, from formal Box (Buxus sp.) around Leonardslee House and Yew (Taxus sp.) topiary on the entrance lawns to the rows of Rhododendron hedging alongside some of the paths and lakes. The growth of these plants will slow as the temperatures and daylight hours drop, so now is a great time to tackle hedges with powered hedge-trimmers in most cases, or hand shears for more fine work. Hedges here help define paths and boundaries as well as offering aesthetic structure in winter.

Whereas much of the summer is too hot and dry to be placing tender, young plants in the ground, as autumn starts to creep into view, now is a great time to plan any replanting jobs. The soil will still be warm in September and early into autumn, which will aid root establishment, but it will also be moist from the late summer showers.  This means that the plants will be less likely to suffer from drought stress. New plants will have a couple of months to get their roots down and tap into the soil nutrients before winter hits and growth stops. We’ll be planting, planning, ordering and quarantining plants for a number of areas here at Leonardslee this month including a collection of Foxgloves around the Leonardslee House courtyard beds and several swathes of summer-flowering shrubs and perennials on the banks around the lakes.

Plenty to be getting on with then and plenty to see and do here as we reach late summer at Leonardslee. We look forward to seeing you here in the garden again soon, perhaps on one of our members garden tours.

Jamie Harris, Head Gardener

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