YOUR GUIDE TO LATE SUMMER GARDENING

In February, it's time to prepare for the cooler months

- Adam Woodhams

With the sun slowly setting on summer, it's time to turn your mind to the cooler days ahead. It's a lovely time to be out enjoying the garden with daytime temperatures becoming more bearable and the landscape around you starting to show the first hints of slowing down for autumn. It's also the ideal time to take stock of any wear and tear or seasonal damage your garden has suffered over summer and to develop an action plan.

TOP UP MULCH

Breakdown of natural mulches happens faster in the warmer months, especially when it's been wet, so chances are yours need a top-up. Give beds and pots a good mulching to insulate roots against the cold.

FERTILISE

After the rigours of summer it's time to feed lawns and gardens. Use a quality controlled release product, like Osmocote, around the garden and in pots for an extended, reliable feeding. Feeding now means plants and lawns will have time to store energy and revitalise themselves before the cold sets in. This will also improve their cold tolerance.

FEED THE SOIL, TOO