Gardeners' notes: jobs to do in September

Plant elephant garlic

Have you ever grown elephant garlic?  Larger than regular garlic, it’s technically a bulbous leek, but has a mild, sweet flavour and is delicious roasted.  Early autumn is the time to get them in the ground: taking a large bulb, split it into individual cloves and plant these with the pointed end up, 10-15cm deep, spaced 20-30cm apart.  They like moist, well-drained soil in full sun and will be ready to harvest next summer, once the foliage has turned yellow and died back.

Rambling rose cuttings

Rambling roses are closely related to wild species, which makes them easier to propagate than bush roses.  It’s fairly simple to make more of your favourite rambler: remove a selection of young shoots that have grown this year, about 25 cm long, stripping the thorns and all but the top few leaves.  Push these into pots filled with a gritty mix of compost and horticultural sand and keep them in a sheltered spot or a cold frame, ensuring they don’t become too dry.  By next spring these cuttings should have rooted and will be ready to grow on.

Prepared autumn containers

Time to plan some pots for the winter and beyond – planting up a container now filled with hardy, evergreen shrubs, winter flowering plants and a few bulbs will stand you in good stead and brighten your doorstep for the coming months.  Dwarf conifers, winter-flowering heathers, ivy, and skimmia can all provide a vibrant display of foliage, flowers and berries; if you add a selection of crocuses, dwarf narcissi and tulips below them, these will emerge in spring when you’re most in need of a fresh burst of colour.