Autumn

Autumn is a great time for garden maintenance. Every minute you spend working in your garden during autumn will really see you being greatly rewarded in spring.

We recommend the following task be carried out in the autumn months:

Lawns
Aerate lawns, using a garden fork to spike the law.

Apply organic fertiliser to lawns and gardens. This is really best done on a rainy day. The rain will wash the fertiliser into the earth, it also lessens the smell, prevents leaf burn and saves you from needing to hose it in, thereby saving water.

Prune shrubs that have finished summer flowering. In May prune hydranges.

Treat Pests and diseases.

• Scale pests - Spray with white oil
• Cabbage white butterfly - Spray with Dipel
• Caterpillar control - Spray with salty water. Add two table spoons of salt to a bucket of water and spray directly on to pest.
• Aphids - spray with white oil or soapy water

Deadhead roses
Cut back pelargoniums by about two-thirds
Cut down herbaceous perennials that have finished flowering.

Planting

Deciduous trees

Shade the house in the summer keeping it cooler

and allows sunlight in during winter keeping the house lighter.

Interesting Facts:

Garlic

Should be planted on the shortest day of the year and harvested on the longest day of the year.

You can plant garlic any time in winter. Garlic requires the winter frost,so if you don't live in an area that expriences winter frost place garlic in crisper section of frige for 4 to 6 weeks before planting into the earth.

Best garlic is organic and purple in colour. Always plant in good healthy soil.