I have to confess this September Cutting Garden post is a little over due. Two weddings came in last minute meaning my plans for the garden were pushed back. It was worth it, both weddings were small but perfectly formed and as always a complete delight to work on.
September in the garden is full of lovely stuff. Flowers hastily planted in July are now in bloom and it is time to make the most of them. Sunflowers, Asters, Dahlias (finally) and Cosmos are all shining brightly. My favourite of all September flowers are crazy Amaranth. Their stems look other worldly but they transform any arrangement into one of wonder. The best bit, they are easy to grow, love a hot summer and produce so many stems per plant. I’ll keep cutting until the first frosts.
Talking of cutting, September is the time to gather and dry as much as possible.
If you grow Hydrangeas (or know someone does) cut as many stems as you can whilst they are still flushed with colour. I do like to leave a few flower heads on my plants, mainly so I can remember what varieties they are! Depending on how many you cut put them in either a bucket or vase with an inch or so of water and leave for a week. When the flower heads feel dry take them out and snip off any mushy stem ends. You can then hang upside down somewhere cool and dry or return to a dry vase. Saving strawflowers works in the same way as hydrangeas, I’m saving mine for Christmas workshops .
September for me marks a new growing season as it is the month I begin Autumn seed sowing. The first job is to get the greenhouse clean and tidy.
I have been chucking old seed trays and seed pods in there all summer. Now, whilst its relatively warm I like to clean all the windows and benches with hot soapy water. If I can I’ll also clean as many seed trays before I start seed sowing.
Starting in seeds in Autumn gives you a head start on next years cut flowers. If you don’t have a greenhouse handy, fear not! A small zippy greenhouse will do the job and give you a great range of cut flowers to start your patch with.
Here are some of my favourites to grow. Sweetpeas, Strawflowers, Calendula, Love-in-the-mist, Cornflowers, Corncockles, Ammi and Snap Dragons.
I’ll add some links to Autumn sowing links below. If you’d like live action I normally give updates on my Instagram page @LottsandLots.
One last thing I like to do in September is plan and buy bulbs. The choice is OVERWHELMING! My advice is start with a budget as baskets can spiral out of hand. I made a moodboard this afternoon as I want to make sure my colours sit together. From there I choose what I love, my favourites are always the ‘peony’ types but my head is easily turned! I have so much to say on selecting spring bulbs. I’ll sit a write a proper guide for you. There is no rush as they don’t need to be in the ground until November/December, its just something to have in the back of your mind for now.
Right, I’m going to add those links to the end of the post and get out there. Enjoy the rest of the month.
Some past posts perfect for Autumn Cut Flower Gardens.
How to Create a Cut Flower Garden
The Autumn Garden and what to sow now
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