By Gordon the Gardener
Yes, I know it’s Autumn but let’s get into the mood of Spring!
Spring flowering bulbs – one of nature’s greatest gifts – can be planted now, but hold on until November before you plant tulips.
Planting into soil that’s still warm can induce fungus disease. Narcissus and daffodils are wonderful and now is the time to plant narcissus bulbs.
A general rule of thumb is to plant twice the depth of the bulb and you can’t go wrong. I would also include the planting of hyacinths and crocuses (or croci!) at this time of year.
There is still time to sow down a lawn. Choose seed from fine for grass to impress, or a more hard-wearing mixture which kids can play on. Alternatively, there are grass mixtures for shaded areas which may be in the lee of a wall or under trees.
An established lawn can be scarified now using a springbok wire rake. Raking it vigorously, you would think you’d be killing it – but you won’t, as grass is very tough. After raking off the tailings, give the grass a light cut with the mower to tidy it up.
If moss has been a problem the turf will benefit from aeration by creating holes every few inches with a garden fork, making sure to press the fork to its full depth to ensure good drainage.
Rubbing some coarse sand down the holes will help in bad cases of moss. If this is done then your moss problem should be solved. A turf dressing can then be applied.
Gordon the Gardener was at the Harrogate Autumn Flower Show held again at Newby Hall. It was a great show.
Huddersfield’s own expert and RHS Harlow Carr medal winner Graham Porter (above) was kept busy all weekend in the Garden Advice Bureau.
After going through a tough time recently he was back to his brilliant best. As well as giving out advice on all things horticultural, he gave an insight into his life as a gardener in a question-and-answer session with Sarah Owen-Hughes, a friend and gardener at Rudding Park Harrogate.
Then there was the annual giant onion competition with the winning onion, grown by Stephen Purvis, weighing in at over 16lb.
Growing conditions in a cool summer has kept weights down. However, Huddersfield had its own champions in this plethora of enormous onions with Almondbury’s green-fingered duo, Mark Wimpenny and Vick Bradshaw, putting up onions weighing in at an impressive 11lb.
Mark told me, to my astonishment, that this was their first year of growing for the onion contest. And they only started growing vegetables in 2023!
How did they become interested in what is one of the most difficult classes? He told me they were influenced on a visit to Harrogate Autumn Show last year and decided to have a go.
He said the seeds for next year’s September 2025 competition will be sown at the end of this month and upon germination will be put under electric light 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which gives the onions their mammoth size.
But to get onions to that weight so quickly is to me, as a gardener for over 50 years, almost a miracle. Amazing.
Chrysanthemums have – due to the cool weather – been of good quality though a bit thin on the ground. The cold has made flowering late. But at Newby there were some excellent examples to be seen.
On the other hand, there was a mass of dahlias (above) – the cool conditions really suited them – and Graham Porter said he had never seen so many at the show before.
There was fruit galore at Newby Hall, apples and pears in all colours of the rainbow, a sight to behold. Floral art was also magnificent, created with imagination and expression.
Back to business, and try and bring into a frost-free greenhouse your tender plants along with any clay pots, which could crack if we get a hard winter.
It’s best to act before the frosts arrive. And it won’t be long before they happen. The golden date I always use is October 10. After that there can be a cold snap.
It’s a good move to plant wallflowers and violas early whilst there is a bit of heat left in the land and warmth in the sun. Plants will get off to a better start than when the soil has grown cold.
I have grown some Brompton and Virginian Stocks ready for May-flowering bedding, they produce a wonderful scent in Spring.
It might be Autumn but we gardeners are always looking forward and onwards…
READ MORE: Gordon the Gardener writes every month for Huddersfield Hub. Catch up on his previous blogs HERE
