By Isle of Wight Observer
Well, the summer has slipped away and it’s hardly been a memorable one. With only a few particularly warm days, it’s generally been just dry and pleasant with a few wet days for good measure. However, it has meant that our gardens have quite enjoyed the conditions. After such a dismal start to the year, the last few weeks have seen flowers continue to flourish when they would normally have faded.
We are in late September now, and it’s dahlia season. The time when many of our favourite summer flowers have all but finished, but the dahlia fills the borders with stunning autumnal shades.
The Island’s flower shows have been well supported this year, with an abundance of quality exhibits, although the flowers were generally running a week or two late, but the vegetables certainly made up for it with some fine entries on the benches. They come to a close in early October, when Brighstone hold its Autumn Show. It’s never too early to start planning for next year and before you know, it will be the spring shows upon us.
So get off to the garden centres, where they will have there spring bulbs in stock. It’s harvest time at the moment with plenty of vegetables to be picked, lifted and dug from the ground to see us through the winter months.
There are of course always plenty of jobs to do around the garden such as hedge cutting, mowing when the weather allows, and having a general tidy up before the conditions deteriorate. It’s not too late to take some cuttings from your herbaceous perennials, such as penstemons, salvias, fuchsias and pelargoniums. These will need some frost protection through the winter, but will give you an abundance of fresh new young plants ready to plant out in the spring.
Gardening is all about life and balance. Some plants do well, while others struggle or perish. It’s about doing the best you can, even when it feels like you are getting nowhere. Don’t give up; you’ll succeed in the end.