"Grooming the garden"

Prepare your garden for a renewed lease of life in early autumn.
Sunday, 25 February 2024     

Tough perennial Dianthus, name unknown, which produces blooms for months if deadheaded regularly

Late summer is a good time to ready the garden for what I consider the highlight of the year in Sydney: autumn, with its kinder temperatures and lack of humidity. My garden is at its best in March and April, with so much colour and fullness in the borders. But the summer heat has left its toll on the garden and now is a good time to tidy it up so that it can look as good as possible in the coming months. This is not a time for major pruning, but for small-scale snipping and grooming, and I have been able to achieve a fair bit of this in the past week.

Deadheading summer-blooming perennials and shrubs - such as Canna, Dahlia, Dianthus (shown at the start of the blog), Justicia carnea, Agapanthus , Verbena , Gaura and Acanthus mollis, Buddleja, Fuchsia and Hydrangea (where the Hydrangea flower-heads are burnt and unattractive: I do leave on the ones that are colouring up well) - makes an immediate difference to the look of the place, and will in some instances promote a new flush of blooms. Completely spent herbaceous perennials, such as Rudbeckia and Echinacea, have their flower stalks cut back to the base; the long flowering stems of daylilies are cut out as well once all the buds have gone.

Tired foliage can give the garden a shabby look, so I have been removing this where possible. Daylilies accumulate a lot of dead leaves around their base, as do Arthropodium, Kniphofia and Phormium; once removed, that particular garden area looks much improved. Large leaves of plants such as Canna that are chewed or sunburnt can also be cut off for an instant effect. Acanthus mollis foliage looks quite unsightly at this time of year - it can all be removed as new growth is forming at the centre of the plant. A lot of my plants had their foliage scorched by heat, so I have been trimming that off lightly where possible.

I do most of my heavy pruning in August, but this year I am experimenting with giving a light cutting-back to some of my perennials and shrubby perennials in the hope of promoting new growth and flowers in autumn. Salvia plants have been targets for this approach - I felt that the intense heat had actually stopped some of these from blooming, so I am giving a lot of them a light trim to see what happens. I am also chopping back some of the big winter-flowering Salvia so that they take up less room and might be more compact when they flower. I have also been trimming foliage plants such as Iresine, Alternanthera, Helichrysum petiolare and Hypoestes phyllostachya to promote a more compact shape. I am going to give all the trimmed plants some doses of soluble fertiliser once I have finished my pruning, to encourage this to happen.

Another grooming task is the inevitable weeding: weeds have flourished through summer with all the rain we have had. Though tedious, weeding does give us the chance to get up close and personal to our borders and see what is going on with our plants - such as to detect signs of insect attack or disease, or to note where a plant is being smothered by a more aggressive neighbour or is not looking well for some reason. Plants needing stakes or supports can be identified and dealt with.

Another job is to pull out exhausted summer annuals, such as Cleome, Amaranthus and Cosmos. After uprooting them, I usually shake them around a bit to disperse their seeds for next year as I generally only grow self-seeding annuals. Some summer annuals, such as Browallia americana, pictured at left), respond to being cut back and will produce a second flowering if this is done.

If done regularly, garden grooming need not be time consuming. It also brings us closer to our gardens so we can admire the progress of our plants through the seasons. It's sometimes too easy to forget that this is what gardening is really all about.

Blog first published 20 February 2011; updated 25 February 2024.


 Reader Comments

1/7  Peta - 2758 (Zone:9 - Cool Temperate) Monday, 21 February 2011

How right you are! Ive had to add bulb planting to the list too. These include lots of Alliums, Iris reticulata and Crocus.Daffodils have just arrived too. My garden is very much in need of a manicure and the compost heap is fast filling. Dare I say Round Up on the gravel - nowhere else though.

Thanks, Peta. Yes, my paths all need attention as they are very weedy. Deirdre


2/7  Maureen - 2118 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 21 February 2011

Thanks for your great 'tidy up the garden' email which inspired me to get out at dawn light to start, after the prolonged heat. To my utter surprise I discovered a 6-inch flower on a young Mother in law's tongue!! Didn't even know they flowered - never to old to learn at 70! Maureen

Thanks, Maureen. I didn't know they flowered either - you have made me curious. It is nice to garden in the early morning when it is cool and fresh. Deirdre


3/7  Jill - 2038 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 21 February 2011

So interested to hear that some of your salvia haven't bloomed this season. I planted a Huntington red several months ago, and have yet to see a flower. I too have given it a trim in the hope it will produce. Also, I wanted to thank you for introducing me to the Justicia Carnea. Lovely plant!

Thanks, Maureen. I do think the heat may have had an effect on the salvias. However, I have also noted that many often have a bit of a lull right in the middle of summer then start flowering again around late summer and all through autumn. Justicia carnea is a favourite of mine, as it flowers for so long and is so easy to grow! Deirdre


4/7  Malle - 2570 (Zone:9 - Cool Temperate) Wednesday, 23 February 2011

I am a strong advocate for light summer pruning especially when the plants are growing too vigorously and putting out leggy growth. Another reason to prune is when one plant is overwhelming another and shading it. eg my crepe myrtle and ornamental plum tree.

Thanks, Malle. I am looking forward to seeing how it all goes after my pruning. Deirdre


5/7  Sue - 2073 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 14 March 2011

Hi Deidre, My Bauhinia galpinii is ablaze at the moment. I cut it back very hard in late autumn and it comes back again wonderfully. I also have an apricot Brugsmansia which is also laden with blooms. Autumn is a great time in the garden. Thank you for your blog - it makes my Monday morning. Sue


6/7  Anne - 2518 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Monday, 26 February 2024

I find that white justicia does not flower as well as in the two different pink ones I have. the various plectranthus are amazing garden contributions. Yes I agree the white Justicia carnea isn't as prolific as the pink one and not as robust a plant. Plectranthus are wonderful at this time of year! Deirdre


7/7  Margaret - 2122 (Zone:10 - Warm Temperate) Tuesday, 27 February 2024

If it is not too hot, I like the end of Feb. leading into March. Still lots of colour in the garden - the cane begonias and dahlias have had another burst of colour, and the plectranthus are just flowering. About four plants of 'naked ladies ('which I thought had disappeared) have suddenly flowered, zinnias are healthy and colourful. There is so much in bloom right now and when the days are a bit cooler and less humid, we can enjoy our gardens more! Deirdre


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