RHS Gardening Through The Year: Month-by-month Planning Instructions and Inspiration

Product Information

The days are noticeably getting shorter now and there is a chill in the air, signalling the sign of fall. It's a time when the leaves begin their glorious show of color and is one of the most stunning times in the garden. Achieve a luscious garden all year round with this best-selling, easy-to-follow guide for novice gardeners from BBC Gardener's World writer Ian Spence. If the grass begins to grow, you can mow the lawn in mild weather. Put the mower blade on the highest setting so you don’t scalp the grass. This month, our gardens begin to react to the lengthening days, with flowering daffodils and fat buds of blossom on the best flowering trees preparing to erupt. Find out when the best time is for pruning rose bushes, when your potatoes will be ready to harvest, how to keep your lawn green and well-fed, and learn how to plan ahead with this comprehensive gardening book.

Lawns can be left to grow a little longer during hot spells, which will help them through periods of drought and give you more time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Mow the lawn just once a fortnight to keep it healthy during dry periods – the taller leaves develop longer roots which can withstand drought better. Spend some time repairing bald patches of lawn by following our tips on how to plant grass seed. Keep the soil moist while the seed germinates.Keep all your plants, containers and home grown fruit and vegetables watered well, especially if it’s hot. The best time to water is in the early morning. Aim the garden hose at the roots of the plants not the leaves. This month is one of the busiest in the monthly gardening calendar so follow our simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month. Sow biennials for next year such as wallflowers, honesty, foxgloves, Sweet Williams, forget-me-nots and Canterbury bells. After flowering, prune climbing and rambling roses and tie in stems securely to prevent any breakages in extreme weather.

If you have a lawn, now is the time to show it some TLC with some autumn lawn care. Rake it thoroughly with a wire rake to remove the moss and thatch and then spike it to aerate the soil and improve drainage. A sprinkling of phosphate feed wouldn’t go amiss either.

Christmas Gifts

Either way, your September gardening jobs are about getting the garden ready for the months ahead –by collecting seeds, sowing hardy annuals and winter veg and keeping on top of the falling leaves. Discover top tips to guide you with clear, easy-to-follow gardening advice and illustrated step-by-step projects and gardening ideas. This fully updated edition includes brand-new visual galleries that showcase a garden throughout the year, with inspirational ideas for achieving colour schemes, your favourite scent, or striking foliage in your garden.

This month, the days are short but filled with pale winter sunshine and there’s a refreshing nip in the air so every reason to get outside and enjoy what your garden has to offer at this time of year. It’s a forager’s delight when it comes to natural decorations for the festive season.Tender vegetable varieties should now be ready to harden off in the warmer days so they can be planted out after the last frosts.