Gardening advice
Autumn: a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…. But a bit of a headache in the garden with all the leaves falling. Anderson Landscapes – Thames Ditton-based landscape construction experts – are here with some handy advice for how to make the tidy-up and maintenance required as painless as possible.
The secret lies in scarifying the lawns, or (for the less green-fingered amongst us) regularly raking the grass. A simple rake - and a willingness to have a bit of a cardio workout - is all your need. This process keeps the old grass, dead moss and dandelions etc under control. Careful not to be too vigorous though, as you can damage the turf – and you’ll want it lush and green again once the sunny season arrives.
Another great technique to employ is aerating, which encourages air and moisture penetration. While this is a year-long task, autumn is an especially good time of year to do it as the lawn starts getting less light and fewer healthy rays from the sun. You can spike with a standard garden fork. Or for the more humorous of you, end a dinner party by asking the female guests to run across the lawn in their Louboutins – the pointed heels are perfect (but perhaps less perfect for the Loubous).
With fewer Sunday afternoon jollies taking place on the grass in November, it’s a great time to undertake some top-dressing too. You can buy ready-made kits, or mix it up yourself – all you need is a good quality top soil, washed sharp grit sand and a normal grass seed. Simply scatter the mix into any bald patches, or heavy-wear areas where you walk the most. And voila, lawn perfection is restored.
And while the last thing on our minds (as thoughts turn to snowmen, santa and scarves) this is also an ideal time of year to plant your roses. Select an area of the garden that sees plenty of sunlight, and where there is a well-fertilised area of soil (we recommend organic compost).
Last but not least, the non-sunny months are a perfect time to think about your hard landscaping projects. Fencing, decking, paving, water features, pergolas – they are all in hot demand once BBQ season arrives, so get in first with the landscaping companies and have the area good to go once that unexpected heat wave hits in March and it’s halloumi o’clock.