THE END OF SUMMER (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

THE END OF SUMMER

3:37pm Tuesday 23rd August 2011

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The end of summer is sadly just around the corner and however mild the days we are only too aware of the darker evenings and the cooler nights, just a few days ago a presenter on BBC Breakfast said that overnight temperatures had been only just above freezing. Not what we want to hear in August. With September only a few days away its worth remembering that in the gardening year next month is a bridge between the seasons – and hopefully we may be blessed with an ‘Indian Summer’.

With the future in mind now is a good time to take cuttings from roses. It’s really much easier than you might think – start by taking a hardwood cutting from a healthy stem of this season’s growth and trim to just below a leaf joint at the bottom then strip off any lower leaves. Cut away the soft tip to just below a leaf. You should now have a cutting about 30cm long. Choose a suitable place in your garden and make a narrow trench, fill with either sharp sand or grit, and then slide in the cutting up to about two-thirds of its length. Your part is done for now, just leave it alone for about a year by which time a root system should have developed and your new rose is ready to be transplanted into its new, permanent home.

As the sun loses some of its intensity and the weather gets cooler remove the summer shading from your greenhouse. Still leave the doors and windows open during the day but as the evening temperatures begin to drop close them. Some plants, such as tomatoes, are still cropping so continue to feed and water regularly. Help to improve the air circulation round the plants by removing the lower leaves.

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