A few thoughts (all of which we can help with) for immediate and up-coming performances and actions you need to progress over the coming months; dont make the common mistake of faffing about or doing nothing until next year when it will be too late (and your neighbours will understandably shun you due to your neighbourhood wrecking negligence); this is probably the most important period of the year for a bountiful and fruitful Spring and Summer 2025:
Pruning Orchards and Fruit Trees - My favourite of all the jobs, who doesn't like getting paid to monkey about in trees with potentially lethal weapons (think Die Hard up a tree)? It is currently (as of 29th September) still a bit too early to do this but it is a really important job to ensure the health of your trees, reduce the risk of disease / collapse and maximise next year's yield (unless of course you dont like fruit, then I wouldn't bother). This is a high demand service (that gets booked up fast) with a limited time before it's too late as the sap starts to rise (our window of opportunity locally is usually mid October - mid January, we tend to be a bit earlier than the rest of the country - winner!), so get this scheduled ‘a sap’!!!
Lawn Rejuvenation - After such a wet, well let's be blunt, awful damp squib of a pathetic Summer, the 'grass' is still deceptively green but it is most likely moss and weeds. Whilst it might be tempting to go at it like a Bull in a China shop, I think it is probably too late now to go 'Gang-Busters with the Rotovators' - unless a brown Shrek swamp for the next 6 months is your ultimate dream. There is still time for some gentle scarifying, Autumn treatment and over seeding perhaps with an aside of slightly more brutal cutting in to allow the edges to sharpen up and harden over the winter.
Pruning, Cutting Back and Shaping of Shrubs, Ornamental / Signature Trees and Hedges - With a brief period of the growing season hopefully still left this is the best time of year to get these verdant behemoths into shape whilst allowing them a little time to recover, without becoming overgrown again, before they then go to sleep. Some will argue perhaps to leave trees a little later but I find that for those of us with limited imagination, having some foliage (where applicable) remaining, is a great help guiding the creative juices when envisaging the best results for next year (without damaging the plant at all).
Bespoke Raised Beds and Kitchen Gardens - Another popular service and favourite of mine. Now is the best time of year to get these installed and prepped ready for Spring bulbs and a Winter crop, then to switch to Easter sowing ready for your bumper Summer Harvest. All the beds I create are ethically sourced, thoughtfully designed, expertly tailored for your individual life-aspirations, sustainable personal space and spiritual wellbeing incorporating diverse materials to optimally, accommodate your soul's ambitions and respectful of your pecuniary means (Word Salad, see what I did there?). These generally require a short lead--in time, so best to enquire and book ahead asap. They are also hugely beneficial for the value of your house which is amazeballs if you are thinking of refinancing, selling up or doing something that will get you a mention in the Daily Mail.
Cutting Back, Clearance and Mulching - After the Monsoon season, of the last 15 months, the borders are reminicent of the Rorkes Drift aftermath - covered with burnt out annuals, drowned perennials and the dastardly brambles, accompanied by their nettley, weedy mates, having a Jamie Vardy style party! It is time for a fight back, to launch the Forlorn Hope and dream of better times ahead. The first step is to clear the 'bodies', then launch a 'Shock and Awe' campaign of relentless death and vengeance upon the enemy forces of darkness and ouchiness. (Oh well, an attempt to make a hard, unpleasant, potentially a bit boring, task sound fun - not sure it worked). Anyway once you are back to a nice clean slate, get the Spring bulbs in and cover in a lovely thick layer of scrumdiddlyumptious 'mulch' (flavour to your own tastes). This will hugely improve the soil over the Winter (very important given the moon dust that we try to grow things in round here) maximise next years blooms and minimise any further tedious weeding until Spring - so you can then forget about this aspect, giving you extra time to put your feet up and think about what to get 'difficult' Aunty Bev for Christmas.
Planting, Splitting and Moving - Whilst it is still relatively mild (it could almost be July !?!) now is the time to plant any new trees, shrubs, bulbs and plants or to split your favs and move anything that is struggling. The ground is still soft and ‘warm’, this will allow some time for them to begin to establish themselves. Most importantly roots need water to engage with the soil (similar to alcohol, English people and the opposite sex), if the ground is too hard or it is too cold to allow proper drainage this will not occur and it is unlikely that this 'trans-plant' will be a success.
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