Here we are heaving into the seventh month even schoolchildren taking their first steps in French in the classroom know that the first four letters of the month confirms the number seven. Seventh month also in the ancient Roman calendar and the ninth month here in the Chilterns - that's inflation for you which was not unknown in the Roman empire and figured largely in its decline when soldiers of the legions became demoralised by finding that their pay was constantly lagging behind prices.........plus ça change eh?
September also sees the return of schoolchildren and students to their academic bases which means that for many households, September can seem like the first month of a new year, a bit like the Roman god Janus who is usually depicted looking backwards at the old year and forwards through the gateway to the new year and hence is typically associated with the month of January.
Anyway, first, seventh or ninth month whichever you feel comfortable with and which fits neatly into your model of our twelve month cycle, September can indeed seem like a beginning and and an end with the passing of summer and the start of autumn which used to herald the golden glow of harvest time with its mellow mists and fruitfulness although these days of climate change and weird and wonderful new weather patterns, this was probably celebrated two months ago.
Looking back, the passing of summer, however needn't mean the end of summer flowering plants if you keep up with regular deadheading of roses, geraniums and the like and an occasional feed you can keep your pots boiling for a while longer yet before starting to take cuttings for rooting to produce next years' crop of geraniums.
Looking forward, this is a good time to plant up spring flowering bulbs when your pots become available as garden centres are now bursting with sackfuls of daffs, tulips and narcissi. Daffs and tulips in pots and tubs always look better when filling the container to overflowing so plant the bulbs in layers with the pointy end upwards topping up each level with your planting medium - even though they will be sitting on top of each other, they won't mind and will force their through to give you their best display.
Your lawn (or just grassed area if you prefer) probably needs a lift at this time of following the kids rampaging around all summer so bare patches need a good scarifying and levelling finished off with fresh grass seed, but not too much and then lightly rolled to ensure that they are in good contact with the ground. Keep well watered as we may yet have more very dry periods even though we're into autumn now.
Enjoy the (relative) peace and quiet of the garden now the kids are back at school - you might even turn a hand to tidying up around the place having promised yourself all summer to get round to it.
