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A GARDENING expert has shared four important jobs Brits should make sure to do this weekend, ahead of the cold winter months.
As the days begin to get shorter and temperatures start to fall, this weekend may be one of the last chances gardening fans have to make sure their gardens are prepared for the coming months.
The weather is predicted to be relatively warm and dry this weekend, meaning that conditions will be perfect for getting stuck in outdoors.
Leonardo and Domenico Musceo, garden experts on , have listed four jobs to prioritise this weekend.
The experts revealed that September is the perfect time to prune two common garden plants, lavender and roses.
They explained that forgetting to prune lavender can risk it turning leggy and twiggy.
"Pruning encourages a more compact shape and promotes new growth, which helps the plant maintain a tidy appearance as it heads into autumn", Leonardo and Domenico revealed.
Pruning plants can also remove dead flowers, which ensures your plants look lush and healthy this autumn.
Also, late summer pruning can remove dead flowers, ensuring it looks lush and healthy over the autumn months.
Once your roses have finished flowering, it is important to cut flowered stems back by a third, as well as removing some of the older, woody stems.
"Not only will this help to improve air circulation but it will encourage new growth too", the experts said.
Your lawn may be looking a bit worse for wear after the hot summer months. so now is the perfect time to look into the health of your soil.
Preparing your soil at this time of year helps to set yourself up for seed sowing and turf laying, which you can do in October.
To inspect your soil, you must first clear the area of any weeds or debris.
Then, add in some organic matter to help improve the soil structure and fertility.
With September starting, so does autumn, and The Sun's Gardening Editor Veronica Lorraine has a few tasks to keep you busy as the summer sun winds down.
1. Starting thinking about Spring bulbs
Its early bulb time! As well as the more traditional daffodils, crocuses, alliums and bluebells, try snake-head fratillaries for something slightly different.
2. Remember the bees
Make sure you're still looking after the bees with autumn flowering pollinators - like sedums, honeysuckle and asters.
3. Dig and enjoy your potatoes
Maincrop potatoes are ready to dig up - make sure you get them all so they don't get slug damage.
4. Change your lawn mowing schedule
Raise the height of your lawn mower and start to reduce the amount of mowing you do. GIve it an autumn feed, especially if you didn't get round to it in Summer and start to rake to remove thatch.
5. Plant out new perennials while the soil is still warm.
6. Take salvia cuttings
It's as easy as cutting a shoot tip above a node and chucking it in a glass of water to see if it sprouts roots. Especially with tender Salvias which wont survive the winter.
7. Keep camelias well watered to make sure that buds form next year.
8. Keep on deadheading and watering your hanging baskets
They should keep going until the first frosts.
9. Get pumpkins Halloween ready
Remove any leaves shading pumpkins to make sure they'll be ready for halloween - and make sure you keep watering them, they're very thirsty.
10. Check on your pond
Net your pond to stop it filling with fallen leaves when the trees start to drop.
Leonardo and Domenico, added: “Not many people realise this is such a key step, but we always recommend testing soil pH and making any adjustments to ensure it’s within the ideal range for grass growth.
“Grass needs nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in order to grow well. If the soil pH is too acidic or too alkaline, it can block these nutrients from being absorbed by the grass roots, resulting in poor growth and a patchy lawn.
“Note that the ideal range is typically somewhere between 6.0 and 7.5. If your soil pH is too low it’s a good idea to add lime or wood ash to raise it. If you run the tests and if it’s too high, add organic materials such as sulphur or aluminium sulphate.”
Now is also a great time to aerate your lawn, and to make sure you are on top of weed control or pest issues.
If you're keen to grow your own fresh and juicy strawberries for next summer, now is the perfect time to plant strawberry runners.
This will give them ample time to establish their roots before the cold winter weather arrives.
Strawberry plants need at least six hours of sunlight a day, so make sure to plant them in the sunniest spot in your garden.
Before planting the strawberries, make sure to add compost to your beds to improve the soil's fertility.
Perennials can become crowded over time, meaning that they end up competing for nutrients.
Therefore, it's a good idea to divide them up and replant them, so that they have more chance of thriving in the spring.
The experts said: "To do this, use a garden fork or spade to carefully dig around the clump, carefully lifting it out of the ground with as much of the root system intact as possible.
"Then, gently shake off any excess soil to expose the roots and use a sharp knife, spade or simply your hands (if you don’t mind getting a bit dirty) to divide the clump into smaller sections. Each division should have several healthy shoots and a good amount of roots.
"Replant the divisions at the same depth they were growing before and make sure the roots are spread out in the planting hole. Finally, water them well to help establish the new plants and mulch around the base in order to retain moisture."
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