What to do in the garden in September

In the garden

With the first rains comes the best time for planting in a Mediterranean climate. The soil is still warm and plants root quickly before winter. Dig the planting holes and improve the soil with compost.

September also brings the risk of a DANA, the torrential autumn storms. Secure stakes, remove dead branches that could fall and keep drains clear.

Lawn

It’s the best month to bring your lawn back. Scarify, reseed bare patches and feed with an autumn fertiliser. Keep the soil moist until the seed comes up. It’s also a good time to sow a new cool-season lawn.

Watering

Water gradually less as temperatures drop. After heavy rain, switch off the timer and don’t turn it back on until the soil has dried. A rain sensor on the timer stops it watering straight after a storm.

Pruning

• Trim hedges so they go into winter in good shape.
• Tidy up perennials and herbs that have finished flowering.
• Remove dead or damaged branches from trees before the storms.

Vegetables and fruit trees

Pick what’s left of the summer vegetables and get the soil ready for winter crops. Plant out cabbages, lettuces and endives, and sow spinach, radishes and broad beans at the end of the month. The first persimmons and early mandarins start to ripen.

Plants of the month

• Mediterranean shrubs: mastic tree, myrtle, pittosporum, coronilla.
• Low-water herbs and perennials.
• Spring bulbs: daffodils, tulips, ranunculus.

Hedra’s tip

If you want to change something in the garden, plan it for September to November. A plant that goes in during autumn makes the most of the rain, reaches summer with its roots established and uses much less water in its first year. Our team can help you design and plant with species suited to La Costera.