It's not all doom and gloom as winter approaches

Things to do this Week
It’s hard to believe we are at the end of September already especially as we were still applying sun cream just a few short weeks ago and the sound of lawn mowers was still the norm.
Clearing out the flower beds can be a demoralising task at times and triggers the process of grief about the loss of summer. It’s not all doom and gloom as autumn is one of the two times of year that is ideal for planting perennials. The soft ground is perfect for the roots to make contact with the soil and there is guaranteed to be lots of water around.
You can do a lot worse than create a perennial flower bed, especially if you are looking to reclaim some of the lawn for added shape and interest. It’s not uncommon to be deterred from this just by not knowing what to put in a bed.
Planning is the key to creating a flower bed, and once you’ve chosen the site the fun can begin. If you plan well, you can plant for summer long colour that lasts well into autumn.
For example, late flowering perennials like sedums, dahlias, asters, Japanese anemonies or the long flowering penstemon can all be planted for contrasting colour. The bees will be your best friend as it’s this time of year when they are desperate for nectar to help them fatten up for when it’s time to find a crack in the wall or the solace of a bee hotel until early spring arrives.
Crocuses, bulbs, hellebores and achillea will start the colour off in early spring and they can be followed in mid summer by coneflowers, delphiniums, peonies, geraniums, phlox and shasta daisies to keep things ticking over through mid summer.
If all these still aren't enough for you then more colour can be provided by planting annuals in between the season ticket holders. Cosmos, cornflowers, candytuft, calendula, cleome and chrysanthemums will all happily provide bright colours of various shades while the sun shines. Some of them might even self seed and naturally establish themselves on a longer term basis.
On the Plot
Continuing the planting theme, just to remind us autumn and winter still provide plenty of interest and decent weather, you really should be getting in your broad bean seeds by now. This is unnecessary if like many allotmenteers, you save your own seeds by drying them and saving in a paper bag for next year. They go in the ground anytime in October and November so you can prepare the bed now by adding plenty of hummus as they love a rich bed. Planted now, they‘ll be up and healthy by February and ready to climb skywards.
Spring onions come into their own at this time of year when you’re looking for something to sow. White Lisbon are a hardy variety that will be mature by next spring. They are great for succession sowing all year round every couple of weeks for a year round supply.
It’s time to bring in lemon grass and find somewhere warm and dry. Keep them watered and the occasional winter feed and they ll repay you next summer with fat stems as wide as your finger. Much better than the spindly commercially bought varieties that can sometimes be available at extortionate prices.
Much of September is spent harvesting and then wondering what to do with the bare earth. If you’re lost for idea then mulch and take some time out for a spot of reading. Asian greens, Winter purslane, lettuce and pea shoots can all be sown now.
Prune apple trees into the shape you want making sure there are no diseased or crossing over branches. Remove any upright thin water shoots as they take valuable energy from the tree which impacts on apple production and more importantly apple pies!