The September cutting garden: autumn seed sowing

Isn’t it amazing what a couple of weeks of rain, sunshine and showers and warmth can do, the garden has reappeared after almost fading completely during the summer drought. The grass has greened up again and is looking better than ever (proof that you don’t ever need to water your lawns). The late summer annuals are having a ball, with lots of Cosmos, Zinnias, Nicotiana, Rudbeckias and Phlox blooming away merrily. Many of the perennials in my garden had shut down and gone into dormancy and have revived and produced some lovely lush foliage and some of the Astrantias are flowering again. The Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’ has gone crazy so lots of pickings of that. Still leaving lots of flowers for the bees, they love it. The Dahlias are still looking amazing and flowering away, all be it with slightly smaller flowers but they have just been fantastic this year. They have had a second push of flowers now there is more consistent rain. Its a relief after a difficult August in the garden. I’m starting to slowly get my gardening mojo back. We’ve been away for a week in Devon, a real escape from work, housework and life in general and I’m definitely feeling excited about the September garden.

Its noticeably cooler in the mornings now, I have a spider that persists in weaving its web in the doorway of my greenhouse and every day I forget and get a face full of web when I go in to check my seedlings. The spider joined me one day on my jumper so I had to have strong words about finding a safer home and I’m hoping he will take the hint. So I sowed my hardy annuals on the 20th September and already there is germination in most things. My sowing list included a range of Cornflowers, Corncockle ‘Queen’, Godetia ‘Crown’, Salvia ‘Oxford Blue’ and Painted Sage, Candytuft ‘Crown’, Daucus carota ‘Dara’, Omphalodes linifolia, Scabiosa ‘Black Knight’, Ammi majus and Ammi visnaga. Plus some seeds I’ve collected from my garden Orlaya grandiflora and Papaver ‘Amazing Grey’. I sowed them all in seed trays and I will prick them out once they have developed their true leaves into modules or 9cm pots, which will likely be in early October. I love going in and checking in on them each day. There is just about still time to sow hardy annuals but you need to get going, make the most of the warmth and the moist soils. For more information of autumn sowing of hardy annuals see my recent blog guide.

 

I have also sowed some hardy perennials too while the sowing conditions are so good, I’ve sowed Gaura ‘The Bride’, Knautia ‘Melton Pastels’, Echinacea ‘Primadonna Pink’, Echinops ritro and Chrysanthemum ‘Crazy Daisy’. Plus some that I’ve collected from my own garden, like Bupleurum ‘Bronze Beauty’, Silene fibriata, double flowered Feverfew and Francoa sonchifolia. These will also be pricked out and potted on and kept in the greenhouse over winter.

I’ve done some direct sowing this year too and cleared one of my raised beds and removed all the weeds, then raked it over and watered before sowing some of the 60g autumn seed mix, I broadcast sowed them and then lightly covered with some compost and watered again. I’m excited about this. Normally I’m a bit of a control freak and like to sow in pots and prick out what I need but its always good to experiment.

I need to plant my biennials too and get them growing in their final positions but I need to make some space first and weed and prepare the soil, at this time of year there is always the job before the job before the job. Interestingly my Wallflowers, Sweet William, Hesperis and Canterbury bells from this year are all still growing well and I’ll keep them going for another year. My autumn bulb order has arrived so I’m sorting out my Narcissus bulbs that I held over from last year and replanting. Its too early yet to plant the tulips and they will go in place of the Dahlias but I want to get the Narcissus planted and I’ve bought lots of Allium ‘Purple Sensation’ for my new border and they need to go in as soon as possible so lots to do. My Dahlias have been fabulous and are still going strong.

I’m still picking from my garden, though I am letting some things set seed now. I’ve never had Cosmos self seed in my garden before but I noticed a seedling and let it be, its grown huge but is still not flowering, wondering if its going to make it before the first frosts!

But now is a good time to go round the garden and look for seedlings. There are some merits of being a bit of a slovenly gardener as I am, in not always cutting back and letting things self seed. So go round your garden, look round the base of plants and any open ground and see what is growing there you might find some treats. I’ve noticed lots of Cerinthe seedlings and I’m going to rescue them and plant them somewhere else in the garden, I have lots of Foxglove, Sweet Rocket and Forget-me-not seedlings.

A seasonal arrangement with lots of Cosmos ‘Apricotta’, Phlox ‘Creme Brulee’, Rudbeckia ‘Sherry Brandy’ and Sunflower ‘Red Sun’, with the gorgeous Aster ‘Little Carlow’.

So a busy time, but it will get done or not in its own time. Trying to also enjoy those gentle autumn days when the sun is warm and the light is soft. Pottering in the garden is perfect.

Higgledy Anne

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