Here are your main jobs to do in the flower garden in September:
- Continue to feed and deadhead hanging-basket and container annuals — they will often keep going until the first frosts.
- Keep deadheading annuals and perennials to extend their performance.
- Deadhead your penstemons, dahlias, and roses to keep flowers coming.
- Divide herbaceous perennials as the weather cools. ...
- Prune any late-summer flowering shrubs, such as the rock rose ( Helianthemum ).
- Dig in! Add perennials and spring-blooming (fall-planted) bulbs to your garden. ...
- Make notes in your garden journal. ...
- Weeding. ...
- Stop pruning and fertilizing. ...
- Encourage annuals to self-seed. ...
- Leave seed heads standing. ...
- Clean up plants as they fade.
1. Plan for next spring
Above: Photograph by Britt Willoughby Dyer for Gardenista, from Garden Design 101: Crocus, a Perfect Excuse for Color.
4. Harvest your edibles
Above: All sorts of flowers and herbs can be tied up to create aromatic smudge sticks. Photograph via Fibers and Florals, from DIY: Sage Smudge Sticks.
What to plant in fall in a garden?
Start your fall/winter garden. Direct sow the seeds for beets, carrots, and radishes.
What to plant in fall?
It is time for the fall vegetable garden. Start seeds of heat lovers, such as tomatoes and peppers.
How to avoid winter erosion in Maine?
Plant a cover crop to avoid winter soil erosion. In far northern regions, such as northern Maine, plant spring bulbs. Stop watering evergreen and deciduous trees in late September, but resume watering after the trees have dropped their leaves. Divide perennials as needed. Dig and store tender bulbs.
What to plant before a frost?
It's also a good idea to harvest ornamental gourds and pumpkins before a frost because they can suffer some discoloration from frost.
What to plant in Southern California in fall?
Start seeds of heat lovers, such as tomatoes and peppers. Direct sow the seeds for lettuce, collard greens, onions, peas, beans, and broccoli. Sow the seeds for cool-season annuals.
How to propagate a flower?
All Regions. Turn over your compost pile one last time. Clean up your flower beds. Cut back perennials that are done blooming. And trim off any dead or diseased vegetation. (Do not compost anything with disease.) Take cuttings from plants you want to propagate.
When does the desert start to get warm?
In the desert, temperatures start to moderate in September. But some areas might still see triple-digit temperatures with hardly any rain.
What vegetables can I grow in September?
Beets, cabbage, mustard, carrots, peas, cauliflower, swiss chard, collards, broccoli, and onions are some of the best edibles you can grow in September. If you live in a harsh cold region, you can start these plants in a greenhouse!
When is the best time to save seeds?
September is also the right time to save seeds of flowers and vegetables. Store them in labeled jars and sow them until the growing season arrives after winter.
What to put on a patio to bring fall?
Decorating your patio or garden with accent pieces like pumpkins, pine cones, fallen leaves, colorful fabrics would be an excellent idea to bring a touch of fall!
When is the best time to save tender plants for winter?
By late September, the risk of frost is just around the corner. This is a good time to consider which tender plants are worth saving to overwinter in a frost-free place.
When is the best time to collect seed?
Late summer/early Autumn is a good time to collect seed if you want to use it the following year. Collect seed heads, carefully shaking or scraping out the small seeds and store them in a packet in a dry place - a sealed tin is useful.
What herbs can be dried all year round?
This is also a good time to replenish dried herbs, which lose their pungency after a period in storage. Ideal herbs for drying are Oregano, Sage, Mint and also if Thyme and Rosemary, although as hardy perennials, they can be picked all year round.
When does lavender flower?
Pruning lavender does help to give it a compact shape - but bear in mind that some lavender flowers early in the year while others are still flowering in September.
When is the start of autumn?
September is the start of autumn, and we can see the garden slowing down, but there is plenty of late colour in the garden - with late-flowering perennials, climbers and shrubs to keep the garden going.
Is it worth deadheading peas?
It is still worth deadheading perennials and annuals, especially the late flowering ones. Depending on the summer, even annuals such as sweet peas may still be flowering. Continue to deadhead to keep them going unless you want to collect the seed.
Can you raise plants off the ground?
Raising the plants off the ground also allows the air to circulate as damp, stagnant air aids disease, especially grey mould, which can often be a problem when overwintering plants. If you can overwinter the tender plants, it saves money for next year, and you can start the spring with a mature plant that should flower well.
When is the best time to plant perennials?
September is an excellent month for perennials. Sometimes, perennials become overcrowded. You can divide them out and replant them where they’ll have more room. Fall is a great time because the cooler temperatures give them a break and there’s also more rainfall during this month as well in most locations.
When to spread compost in garden?
With fall comes lots of leaves. It is also the time to prepare the garden for winter and ultimately, your next growing season. Use this time to spread any remaining compost on your garden. This compost will get the soil ready for the next season and also give it all winter to have time to break down into the ground.
How to get spring flowers to bloom in spring?
1. Plant Bulbs. If you want the beauty of spring flowers to burst through the dreariness of the end of winter, then you must plant bulbs now. By planting the bulbs this month, it gives them enough time to develop roots before the cold winter temperatures set in. 2.
How to keep birds from eating grapes?
Make sure you cover the grapes with netting or paper bags to make it harder for birds and other pests to make their way towards your fruit.
How to keep transplants fresh?
Be sure to surround the transplants with a thick layer of mulch. This will help to keep the ground fresh and moist.
How to store a sage plant after it has been harvested?
Once they’ve been harvested, bring them indoors to wash and store in a freezer bag. Store them in the freezer for later use.
Why are cover crops important?
There are cover crops which grow quickly and easily. They protect your soil from the harsh winter elements and make it ready to go for the next growing season.
In the Garden
September is a great month to garden in the PNW! Learn why you should plant in the fall.
Edible Gardening
Keep harvesting those tomatoes and zucchini! Zucchini are best harvested small for sweet, tender flesh. Tomatoes should be left to ripen as long as possible on the plant before picking.
Lawn Care
In September, you can begin fertilizing your lawn. Be sure to water regularly after fertilizing, especially in drier weather.
Indoor plants
You can still fertilize your actively growing houseplants, but begin tapering down on frequency as we move into fall. Learn more about the Proper Care and Feeding of Indoor Plants, on the blog.
All Regions
- Turn over your compost pileone last time.
- Clean up your flower beds. Cut back perennials that are done blooming. And trim off any dead vegetation.
- Take cuttingsfrom plants you want to propagate.
- Spray Japanese knotweed, a common garden weed, while it is blooming. The herbicide will h…
- Turn over your compost pileone last time.
- Clean up your flower beds. Cut back perennials that are done blooming. And trim off any dead vegetation.
- Take cuttingsfrom plants you want to propagate.
- Spray Japanese knotweed, a common garden weed, while it is blooming. The herbicide will have the most impact now.1
Mid-Atlantic
- Hot weather will likely continue in September in the Mid-Atlantic, but there will be mild days, too. 1. Stop pruning and fertilizing, as you don't want to encourage new, tender growth just before cold weather arrives. But do continue watering plants, such as fall vegetables, that are still actively growing. 2. Start bringing in houseplantsthat you have kept outdoors during the summer. But firs…
Midwest
- Although the Midwest still sees some hot weather in September, the trend is clearly to more moderate temperatures. 1. Plant a cover crop, which will help to avert soil erosion during the winter.2 2. In far northern regions, such as northern Michigan and Minnesota, plant spring bulbs. 3. Plant fall-flowering annuals, which you can find at nurseries at a deep discount at this time of …
Northeast
- September weather can vary in the Northeast, but overall it tends to be mild. 1. Plant a cover crop to avoid winter soil erosion. 2. In far northern regions, such as northern Maine, plant spring bulbs. 3. Stop watering evergreen and deciduous trees in late September, but resume watering after the trees have dropped their leaves. 4. Divide perennial...
Pacific Northwest
- The Pacific Northwest usually offers moderate temperatures in September with some rainfall. 1. Plant shrubs and trees. 2. Order spring bulbs. 3. Weed your garden beds to prepare them for winter.
Pacific Coast
- September weather in Northern California is moderate while Southern California weather is still warm with very little rainfall. In Northern California: 1. Keep harvesting summer fruits and vegetables. 2. Start your fall/winter garden. Direct sowthe seeds for beets, carrots, and radishes. 3. Water fruit treesdeeply, and clean up any fallen fruit as part of your pest control efforts. In Sou…
Southwest
- In the desert, temperatures start to moderate in September. But some areas might still see triple-digit temperatures with hardly any rain. 1. Pick fruits and vegetables as they ripen. 2. Plant new cacti. 3. Practice whitefly control on plants, such as lantana. If you spot any whiteflies on the undersides of the leaves, immediately spray with neem oil.
Southeast
- The weather can start to become a bit more moderate in September in parts of the Southeast with some rainy days. 1. Start your fall vegetable garden. 2. Plant cool-season annuals. 3. Pick ripe fruits and vegetables.