The busy time begins!

The gardening season is very far from over, says Peter

- Peter Seabrook

WHEN I hear people talk about the garden season coming to an end when the clocks alter and days shorten, I think their lack of gardening understanding really beggars belief. Personally, I find it more difficult to fit everything in with the steadily reducing number of daylight hours.

First, many of the free-flowering summer annuals will continue to bloom freely – the four colours of Petchoa ‘BeautiCal’, for example, withstanding several degrees of frost. There are spring-flowering bulbs to plant; biennials such as forget-me-nots, stocks and wallflowers to plant; the turf needs renovation after summer wear; there are root crops to lift — the list goes on.