From clearing leaves to revamping pots and planting spring bulbs, it’s time to get your plot ready for the cooler seasons There’s plenty of clearing to be done at this time of year with leaves already dropping Lilac tree Sorbus hupehensis Pink Pagoda In our climate, the seasons cede gently into each other. We are allowed to feel let down by the summer. It’s been cool and rainy, and many of our gardens haven’t performed as we might have hoped.
Lots of our flowering plants and fruit and veg love sunshine. The weather, however, had different ideas and gave us a great season for slugs. So my sadness this year about summer leaving is tempered by a hope for the next season.
Autumn can be magnificent and it’s good, in the early days of it, to consider what happens in our plots. The days are shorter and the soil is cooler. Because plant growth is triggered by the amount of daylight hours and a warming soil, this begins to go into reverse.
Growth slows and the foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs changes colour. They cease chlorophyll production in preparation for their winter dormancy. As the green pigment of chlorophyll recedes, other pigments such as orange and yellow carotenoids become visible.
In some trees, such as red oaks and maples, sugar in the leaf increases and forms anthocyanins, creating vibrant crimsons and pinks. All these changes can result in magnificent autumnal displays. Perennials also start to slow down.
Their flowers fade and, once they have set seed,.