Garden maintenance in autumn

Now is a good time to divide large clumps of delphiniums, daylilies and peonies if they are too big in your perennial garden. New beds and boarders can be planned and prepared as well. You may add compost and mature that will provoke next year bloom. Organic matter brings important benefits to a garden. It helps the soil retain moisture and allows essential oxygen in because it loosens the soil and creates air spaces. Organic matter helps maintain a near –neutral soil pH. As lawns are not actively growing now in August, by end of September it should be fertilized to ensure vigour in spring. Good root growth is the main goal at this time of year and can be encouraged by low nitrogen, high phosphorous and high potassium. Pruning is generally intended to control growth the shrubs and trees, but when you cut off the end of twig, although you stop outward growth from that point, the plant redirects energy into the side buds below and the result is a bushier shrub.