It’s been a long, dry summer but gardening expert Diarmuid Gavin has an easy task for everyone to help their young trees and shrubs recover before the colder months
It’s always fun when gardening makes the news. Last Saturday evening, I got a call from a researcher on BBC Breakfast, where I occasionally contribute a word or two on all things green. They were running a report the next day on whether autumn was arriving early this year and wanted a bit of garden-based insight.
I was happy to oblige – camera tilted just enough to keep the weeds out of shot– and ended up chatting live from the garden about one of our favourite national topics: the weather. But is autumn really creeping in ahead of schedule? Let’s take a look.
Have you been noticing conkers on the ground, hedgerows heavy with berries and leaves already beginning to glow gold and red? Well, it’s not in your imagination. Some plants are moving into autumn mode early this year, and the reasons are rooted in the story of the past few months.
Plants, just like people, react to stress. When the summer has been challenging, they sometimes close down certain parts of themselves early to conserve energy. A dry start to the season, with warm spells that pushed growth on quickly, left some trees feeling the strain. Even when the rain returned, stress had already triggered that change towards autumn.
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I’ve seen it in my own garden. I grow tree ferns, and earlier this summer some of the fronds shrivelled before their time. The plant effectively stopped sending water and nutrients to them, sacrificing the older fronds so it could focus its energy on producing fresh new growth.
What’s happening in some of our trees now is much the same. They’re pulling resources back from older leaves and fruiting earlier than we’d expect, as a way of protecting themselves. Cooler nights in August have added to the effect.
Certain species are very sensitive to those temperature drops, even if the days are still warm, and that’s enough to start the chemical changes that bring out autumn colours.
This year also began with an early spring. Buds burst ahead of schedule and leaves have been working for longer than usual, so for some, it simply feels like time to rest. The question is: are we really seeing autumn arriving early, or just the effects of stress?
In many cases this year, it isn’t the classic colour change first but leaf fall – leaves browning, shrivelling and dropping after the strain of drought and heat. That’s not autumn in the normal sense, but rather a plant’s emergency measure to protect itself.
Alongside that, though, there is some genuine early colouring happening, encouraged by those cooler nights and the long season since spring. It’s not every tree and shrub. The change is patchy. A rowan or birch might already be aflame while an oak right beside it is still in full summer green.
Each plant responds to its own experience. You may wonder if it is climate change and while a single year doesn’t tell the whole story, it does fit with the trends scientists are tracking – earlier springs, shifting seasonal patterns and in some cases, an earlier arrival of autumn signs.
It isn’t all bad news. A slow, early start can mean a longer, more colourful display if September brings bright days and cool nights. Wildlife will take advantage too, with berries for birds and nuts for squirrels, though there’s always the risk supplies could run out before winter is over. For gardeners, especially those with young trees and shrubs, it’s a good time to water deeply and help them recover before the colder months arrive.
This isn’t summer giving up. It’s nature adapting to the year’s ups and downs, like my tree ferns letting go of older fronds to protect the new ones. Some plants began their work early and, after a season of challenges, they’re choosing to rest early too.
Jobs to do this week
- Keep deadheading roses and dahlias to prolong flowering.
- Seed collection is best done on a dry day – arm yourself with some small brown envelopes and a pen to label what you collect. Seeds for spring sowing can be stored somewhere cool and dry but not in your airing cupboard, which is too warm. Some seeds can be planted straight away such as astrantia, foxglove, angelica, aquilegia, meconopsis, primula, orlaya and delphinium.
- Purchase some prepared bulbs such as hyacinth and amaryllis, which will flower in time for Christmas. These make lovely presents as well as indoor decorations.
- Plant out your spring cabbages and cover with netting to protect from birds. Autumn onion sets and garlic can also be planted out now.
- While the soil is still warm, it’s a good time for planting herbaceous perennials, trees and shrubs and for soil improvement.
- Aerate your lawns and repair bald patches while we are still in the growing season.
- When harvesting potatoes, remove all the little ones from the soil as well, as these can harbour disease.