Top autumn tips for the garden with Tele's George Irvine

There is a multitude of tasks waiting to be done around the garden at this time of year, not least clearing fallen leaves from the gutters of the house and other outdoor buildings.

The fallen leaves can be collected and filled into black refuse sacks and stored in an unobtrusive area of the garden to create leaf mould, which can be used after two or three years as a mulch.

It is best to cover ponds with a netting to keep leaves out of the water, and also keep the herons from descending and devouring any fish you may have in the pond.

The best method of gathering fallen leaves is to use a couple of boards to collect the leaves before lifting them and bagging them.

Gardenfest online competition

Judging of all the pictures submitted by the entrants of Gardenfest 2024 is now complete and the winners will be announced on Saturday, September 28 at Cardwell Garden Centre at 10am.

Invitations have already been sent to the entrants and an illustrated presentation will be given at Saturday’s event.

Tips on winter pansies

Pansies are one of the most popular flowers, and bring colour to our gardens all year round.

Winter pansies are great for brightening up the scene during and after the dull days of winter.

Winter pansies can brighten up any garden. (Image: Haris Suljic/Unsplash.com) A useful tip when growing winter pansies is to plant them very close together - much closer than you would in summer. It creates a mass of colour and all you need to do is dead-head them regularly.

Clumps of winter pansies can also be interspersed with spring bulbs such as daffodils.

Bright flowers to enhance your autumn garden

The temperatures quite often drop a bit during the autumn but despite this, one of the most colourful flowers gracing our gardens is the dahlia.

These flowers will last through to November, and they bloom in a great variety of colours, sizes and forms.

Grown from tubers, these beautiful blooms will flower until the stems begin to turn black, at which stage the tubers can be carefully lifted from the soil and dried off in a frost-free place.

Dahlias can provide a kaleidoscope of garden colour all year round. (Image: David Griffiths/Unsplash.com) In the spring, the clean, dry tubers can be planted again, and it is often said that better flowers are gained from young shoots of over-wintered tubers.

Indeed, there are very few flowers that will bloom from July to November, or the first frosts come along. But dahlias provide a kaleidoscope of colour and flowers can be from the size of dinner plates to the smaller decorative variety and cactus types.

There are small border kinds, too, that are actually annual types, and can be grown from seed.

Dahlias grown from tubers can last for many years; some gardeners and dahlia enthusiasts have tubers which they have had in their collection for many years.

Because they are tall growing, the flowers do need to be supported, and most growers have a stock of wooden straps which they often paint at the top.

Dahlia blooms can often suffer damage from earwigs which nibble at the petals and also attack the leaves.

Once tomato plants are finished, the large pots can be emptied and late flowering chrysanthemums planted into them; these can be kept in the greenhouse until nearer the festive season.

Garden talks set to resume

Gourock Horticultural Society’s fortnightly garden talks begin on Tuesday, October 8.

These are held at Cardwell Garden Centre and all readers are welcome to come along and meet other like-minded enthusiasts.

The meetings start at 2pm and generally last about an hour. In some instances, guest speakers will come along and address the group, and other members will share their own gardening problems and solutions.

Clean your glass before winter

With the hours of daylight dwindling fast, one of the important tasks that gardeners should be giving attention to is giving the glass of their greenhouse a good clean both inside and outside with warm soapy water.

It does no harm to add a spot of disinfectant to the water, to prevent any disease spreading to any plants which might be getting over-wintered win the greenhouse.

The onset of autumn is the ideal time to give the glass in your greenhouse a clean. (Image: Thomas Verbruggen/Unsplash.com) Make sure you clean the roof as well as the sides, too.

History in the making

One day last week I had a visit from a well- known resident in Gourock when he brought me a gift in the form of a large wooden case.

It contained a silver shield to commemorate the centenary of the of the Royal West Renfrewshire Society from 1830 to 1930.

This silver shield was presented in 1830 by Lord Wemyss to mark 100 years of the Royal West Renfrewshire Society. (Image: George Munro) The shield was presented by Right Honourable Lord Wemyss of Castle Wemyss, and was gifted to the horticultural group.

One name that appears on the trophy is Tom Twaddle; in later years other more modern names appear on the engraving.

Some seasonal hints

Stock up with rock salt, which you can scatter on paths and steps to prevent you slipping should ice form in exceptional cold weather.

Raise pots and containers off the ground by using proprietary pot feet, or even use a few old bricks if nothing else is to hand.

If cold weather prevails and the compost freezes, then the pot – especially if it is ceramic – might crack, which can cost a lot to replace.

Treat your lawnmower and other garden machinery with light oil to prevent it rusting over the winter. (Image: Maciej Karon/Unsplash.com) Keep all your locks and other metal equipment, such as lawnmowers and other tools, free from rust by smearing with light oil, and apply linseed oil to wooden handles.

Keep a torch or hand lamp to hand if you are walking round the garden on dark nights.