RHS Gardening Through The Year: Month-by-month Planning Instructions and Inspiration

Product Information

This month is one of the busiest in the monthly gardening calendar so follow our simple steps to keep your plot looking good this month. Most trees should be pruned in winter, but cherries, plums and damsons are best trimmed in summer to prevent silver leaf disease. Get organized now with your planting and you will be rewarded for your hard work throughout the summer! Find out when the best time is for pruning rose bushes, when your potatoes will be ready to harvest, how to keep your lawn green and well-fed, and learn how to plan ahead with this comprehensive gardening book.

If the grass begins to grow, you can mow the lawn in mild weather. Put the mower blade on the highest setting so you don’t scalp the grass. The days are noticeably getting shorter now and there is a chill in the air, signalling the sign of fall. It's a time when the leaves begin their glorious show of color and is one of the most stunning times in the garden.Now the weather is warmer, slugs and snails are about. Follow our tips for how to get rid of slugs and go on a torch-lit hunt so you can protect vulnerable young plants. Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb to renew the plant and get more. Sections taken from the outside of the plant are better than those from the centre. Watering - particularly containers, and new plants, preferably with grey recycled water or stored rainwater Keep on top of garden tasks with month-by-month chapters, "Last Chance" reminders, "Get Ahead" tips, and handy to-do lists. This RHS book will make gardening easier by providing helpful guidelines and realistic advice, so you can plan out your time efficiently and effectively.

Spend some time repairing bald patches of lawn by following our tips on how to plant grass seed. Keep the soil moist while the seed germinates. If there is a dry spell, water garden planters and make sure they are lifted off the ground so they don't get waterlogged during winter. Either way, your September gardening jobs are about getting the garden ready for the months ahead –by collecting seeds, sowing hardy annuals and winter veg and keeping on top of the falling leaves.

Lawns can be left to grow a little longer during hot spells, which will help them through periods of drought and give you more time to relax and enjoy the fruits of your labour. Mow the lawn just once a fortnight to keep it healthy during dry periods – the taller leaves develop longer roots which can withstand drought better.

If you're learning how to grow potatoes, earth them up regularly as the foliage grows, keeping any tubers well covered.Prepare new lawn areas by weeding, digging them over, treading level and raking. Then let the soil settle before turfing later. As leaves begin to fall, regularly sweep up and don't leave them on grass. Put the leaves to good use by learning how to make leaf mold, which once well rotted, can be used as compost or a mulch. Tender vegetable varieties should now be ready to harden off in the warmer days so they can be planted out after the last frosts. This is the time of year when the garden gets busy! As the risk of frost subsides, bedding plants are ready to bring instant color to the garden, while everything seems to rapidly grow as the weather warms up.