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Welcome

Now it’s official: plants are good for us.

We love September

I may have said this before, but I love this month: it is an almost perfect mixture of hullos and farewells. New school shoes and crisply clean uniforms for children, a new day back at work after a hot summer holiday, and a new mellowness in the air after a couple of months of heat (I am nothing if not an optimist). At the same time the plants in our borders that have given us such pleasure over the summer are beginning to fade away to make room for the last harrumph of fowers before we drift into a glorious autumn

Expert’s choice

Tagetes

The Full Monty

Society has changed enormously since Gardeners’ World first aired in 1968. So, asks Monty, is there still such as thing as a ‘typical’ viewer?

Have your say

The view from your side of the fence

Clippings

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardening news and views

2 for 1 entry

Highlands & Islands

15 FREE

Allium ‘Purple Sensation’

Subscribe and get Adam’s new book

Subscribe to BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine for only £26 every 6 issues – saving 29% † . PLUS receive a signed hardback copy of Adam Frost’s new book How I Garden, worth £22. ‡

Beacons of spring

As we leave summer behind, it’s time to plan ahead, says Monty – and guarantee early colour in late winter and all spring by planting bulbs. Follow his guide to starting now for best results

Where do I start?

Containers

Your year of FLOWERS

Start your own cut-flower patch now and you can fill your home with homegrown blooms all year round. Expert grower, Louise Curley, guides you through the planning and shows you what to sow and plant through the seasons

Save 20% on cosmos

Cosmos are superproductive cut-and-comeagain flowers, producing buckets of

55 spring bulbs for months of colour

Summer’s end may be near, but the season for planting bulbs is just starting. Follow our guide for five months of colour from winter to the end of spring

Planted to the max

Barakura-styleplanting from Japan has instant impact – it’s like flower arranging in pots and Michael Perry shows you how

YOUR PRUNING MONTH

Frances Tophill shows you how to give a silver birch a good start with pruning

PLANTS WITH PURPOSE

Part 6: Shade

Designer style for tiny spaces

Small-space solutions aren’t the first things that spring

Planting kit essentials

BEST BUY

How to be a garden hero

Volunteering at a garden can be an opportunity to learn, socialise and give back to your community, as GW team member Lily Middleton discovers

Plastics: let’s kick the habit

Plastic is everywhere in our gardens – it can be hard to avoid and is often impossible to recycle. But Sally Nex is here to help, with tips on how we can reduce our reliance on this problematic material

SPRING TULIP COLLECTIONS

FREE P&P worth £4.95 Bring bold spring colour

300 SPRING BULBS COLLECTION

IN THIS COLLECTION: ◼ Triumph tulips x 30

GARDEN-READY PANSIES

BUY 10, GET 10 FREE! Fill baskets and

FRAGRANT DAFFODIL COLLECTION

Jonquilla daffodils are known for their scent and

15% OFF ALL SPRING-FLOWERING BULBS

Autumn is the perfect time to plan for the seasons ahead, so get started now with this 15% discount on all spring bulbs including alliums, daffodils and tulips. Visit the new-look website at farmergracy.co.uk/springbulbs to see the full range.

Your wildlife month

September is the end and the beginning of the

Open-fronted nest box

WILDLIFE PROJECT

Fresh from the plot

As summer ends, the light is dipping and its harvests reach a glorious finale. The perfect time, then, for Rekha to gather in this month’s rich bounty of squashes, beans and chillies

Bounty on a budget

SEED SOWING

Make a: self-watering windowsill planter

This simple self-watering planter is easy to make using a recycled plastic drinks bottle and some twine. Add your plant and some water, then pop it on your kitchen windowsill

September Growing guide

Plant soft fruit, fll any gaps with quick-growing salad crops and start off your winter veg

WHAT TO DO NOW

50 things to do this month from the Gardeners’ World team

Monty’s month

Before scattering seed, mow your lawn to expose

FLOWERS

Don’t forget Plant perennials now, so they can

GREENHOUSE

VISIT GardenersWorld. com/greenhouse for more on growing in

ADAM’S ESSENTIALS

Save seed on a dry day without strong

FRUIT AND VEG

20 MINUTES TO SPARE Sow an oriental salad

AROUND THE GARDEN

Go in close, using the tip of your

Q&A

Your questions answered

GQT Gardeners’ Question Time

Our experts tackle your gardening problems, including hungry badgers, a dingy veg patch and some very wobbly dahlias

Crossword

Put down your trowel, pick up a pen and exercise those brain muscles instead…

Marketplace Product Directory

Food, Fun and Friendship Care South’s care homes

ALSTROEMERIA & IRIS

www.postalplants.co.uk

Gift a subscription and get Adam Frost’s NEW book

Treat a friend to a BBC Gardeners’ World

NEXT month...

October issue on sale 22 September

Tales from Titchmarsh

A day spent gardening is well worth celebrating, says Alan, whether that’s with a glass of fizz, a bottle of beer or a cup of tea