As summer gives way to autumn, a new spectrum of colours slowly starts to creep across the landscape. Shades of yellow, orange, brown and red dominate the flora and fauna around us, both in the towns and countryside.
September
Harvest Time
Harvesting the crops is a crucial time for the farmers, months of waiting and anticipation for a profitable year depends on elements out of our control – the weather. September is often a warm, sunny month – much to the annoyance of all those returning back to school or work after the summer break, so the barbeques will still be in full use during this month filling the evening air with tantalizing aromas.
September in the gardening calendar is a good time to plant spring bulbs and repair the lawn after all the summer wear and tear. While the soil is still warm it’s also a good time to plant hedges and shrubs. Generally September is the end of the harvest, both to eat now, or to store for later and collect seeds.
If your Birthday is in September your zodiac sign is Virgo (the sign of the virgin). Your Birthstone is the deep blue Sapphire and your Birthday flower is the Aster – meaning Love, Faith and Wisdom.
Dates and events in September
First week – Schools and other educational establishments start the new term.
First week – The Great River Race (London)
September 9th – 11th Heritage Open Days
September 11th – The Last Night of the Proms
September 18th – The Great North Run
September 23rd – The First day of Autumn
September/October- Harvest Festivals
October
Halloween
This is the season for pumpkin and squashes. The hedgerows are full of berries and bright red Virginia Creeper. Now is the time to remove the summer bedding plants from the boarders and tubs and maybe replace with winter flowering pansies. You might also need to do some gentle pruning and tidying up the garden. Ponds will have to be kept clear of fallen leaves etc and the lawn may need its last cut of the year. Halloween is celebrated this month so many families will buy Pumpkins to hollow out and design scary faces cut into the surface. Trick or Treat has also become a popular activity for children to do on the evening of the 31st.
Opals are the Birthstone for those born in this month. Opals are associated with hope, innocence and purity. Your zodiac sign is Libra – the scales, and your own Birth flower is the Calendula (Marigold) meaning sorrow or sympathy.
Dates and events in October
October 2nd -14th Commonwealth Games
October 11th World Conker Championships (Northamptonshire)
October 21st Apple Day
October 31st British Summer Time Ends
October 31st Halloween
November
November is the quietest month in the gardens, keeping the garden tidy from fallen leaves and maintaining the compost heap will be the most prominent jobs at this time. Delicate plants and shrubs may benefit from some added protection from the colder weather to come.
Remember Remember the 5th November
November is of course the time for fireworks and most families enjoy going to organised displays and watching the spectacular explosions set to music, if you want to arrange your own parties remember the Firework Code.
People born in November can celebrate their day wearing their Birthstone Topaz and receiving bunches of their Birth flowers – Chrysanthemums (which – mean ‘With Love and Cheerfulness’). Your zodiac sign is Scorpio the Scorpion.
Dates and events in November
November 1st London to Brighton Veteran Car Run
November 5th Bonfire Night
November 11th Armistice Day
November 13th Lord Mayors Show & Fireworks (London)
November 14th Remembrance Sunday
