Sep-timber - Starting the Autumn Garden Tidy Up

August is over and Autumn is on the way. September is a busy time for every keen gardener, as we harvest the last of the summer bounty, and prepare for the leaner months ahead.

As the leaves start to fall, its also time to start clearing up the garden “ and in this post, we take a look at the jobs you can be doing now to tidy up your garden, so it continues to look fantastic throughout the autumn months.

Packing things up

As the temperatures start to drop, its time to start packing away your barbecue ready for winter. Before you do, make sure you give it a thorough cleaning - specialist barbecue cleaner and a bbq brush will make this job much easier.

If you can, its best to store your barbecue somewhere dry, like the garden shed or garage, but if you dont have the space, then a good barbecue cover will suffice.

If youre feeling particularly optimistic about the chances of an Indian Summer, then you can leave protecting your garden furniture and packing things away in the shed until later in the autumn.

Clearing the leaves

Falling leaves can be bad news for your garden “ leave them to rot and they will smother your lawn, and poison your garden water features, which is why its so important to keep on top of them.

It can be a tiresome job, but its one thats made much easier with the right tools. As a minimum, youre going to want to invest in a good quality garden rake, with wide tines to cut down the amount of work you need to do. Leaf collectors are another great investment for autumn, and handy for scooping up your leaves, debris and garden waste once youve raked them into a pile.

If youve got a large garden or a lot of trees/deciduous bushes, then leaf blowers and vacuums are a real time saver that will make clearing leaves a real breeze!

Trimming your bushes

Autumn is a really good time to cut back and shape your hedges and shrubs “ do it now, and you wont have to think about it again until summer next year.

Really, youll want to go for some electric or petrol hedge trimmers, but if youve got a small garden, you may be able to get away with a good pair of garden shears for the main body of the work, and some sharp secateurs for precision jobs.

Managing your waste

With all that cutting, pruning and clearing, youre going to end up with a fair amount of garden waste “ so its important to think about how youre going to manage this.

If you dont already practice it, composting is a great, cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to get rid of all your small clippings, leaves and garden waste. A simple compost bin is a good start, whilst a compost roller will enable you to speed up the process, leaving you with loads of mulch and nutrient rich compost for next years planting.

Those with larger quantities of wood waste, or too much garden waste to compost may also want to consider purchasing a small incinerator.

How we can help

Youll find a full range of high quality clearing tools, rakes, leaf collectors and garden vacuums that are ideal for tidying up your garden at Keen Gardener, all backed up by our unbeatable lowest price promise.