Making my garden sing in September

I always find that August is a bit of an off-green month for me – summer is fading and everything is feeling tired and over the long, relentless, dry days. September, on the other hand, is a delight, bringing back a burst of colour in the garden. Berries, leaves on the turn, second flushes of roses, late buddleias in bloom, delicate cosmos, and of course magnificent displays of dahlias help to give the garden one last almight HURRAH! before the frosts descend.

I should hold my hands up and admit that I used to think that dahlias were naff – frou frou pom-pom plants that looked a bit twee. But as I’ve discovered the abundance of varieties currently grown, from the jewel-bright bold to the delicately tinged petals, I’ve started to fall in love, just a little bit.

My front garden is soon to be home to two new varieties of dahlia, alongside the main dahlia plant that’s currently blooming for Britain, and the two self-seeded plants that I’ve left to mature. I’ve forsaken the overcrowded, slightly rusty crocosmia to make space for some “new blood”. I want my tiny front garden to sing in Autumn, a welcome sight amongst the utilitarian front gardens of suburbia (though, I have to add, there are three front gardens down my little road that I covet – beautiful little cottage gardens – and I think we’re all starting to get a little competitive now. It’s a good thing…).

As I rarely buy full-price plants, always keen to rescue from the reduced/neglected/poorly department of any garden centre of nursery, it’s no surprise really that we got two more dahlias at the weekend on a BOGOF deal. These two beauties should return with vim and vigour next year, although they’ll be replacing some of the heleniums under the cherry tree, adding some much-needed colour from a different end of the spectrum to pop amongst a sea of yellow.

I look forward to exploring more dahlia varieties in spring – so after our recent purchases are safely planted in situ, as it’s now bulb-buying season my attentions will soon be turning to creating a riot of spring cheer. That’s tulips, narcissi and alliums to you and me! Bring on the flower catalogues!