Guides / What to plant
What to plant in September
The turn of the year. Autumn planting starts with trees and shrubs going in while the soil is still warm, dormant cyclamen tubers are brought back into growth, and pothos cuttings root quickly while the light holds.
These are Northern Hemisphere months. If you garden in the Southern Hemisphere, the equivalent month is March.
In the garden
Black Bamboo
Phyllostachys nigra
How to grow black bamboo. Why a running bamboo needs a barrier before it needs anything else, how to install one properly, the legal risk of letting it spread, and how the canes turn black.
Black-eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
How to grow rudbeckia, Rudbeckia fulgida. Black-eyed Susan for late summer, the difference between the perennial and the annual sorts, and leaving the seed heads for birds.
Cherry laurel
Prunus laurocerasus
How to grow Prunus laurocerasus. Pruning with secateurs rather than shears, treating shot hole, disposing of clippings safely, and why it must never be confused with bay.
Deadly nightshade
Atropa belladonna
How to recognise Atropa belladonna, telling its berries from the harmless lookalikes, what to do if a child eats one, and why it is still grown as a crop.
Florist's Cyclamen
Cyclamen persicum
How to grow florist's cyclamen, Cyclamen persicum. Why central heating kills it, watering from below, summer dormancy, and the danger in the tuber.
Guelder rose
Viburnum opulus
How to grow guelder rose, Viburnum opulus. Lacecap flowers in May, translucent red berries in autumn, and why it thrives in the wet ground that kills other shrubs.
Ivy-leaved cyclamen
Cyclamen hederifolium
How to grow hardy cyclamen, Cyclamen hederifolium. Flowers before the leaves in September, the dry shade it thrives in, and buying tubers the right way up.
Japanese anemone
Anemone hupehensis
How to grow Anemone hupehensis. Late summer flowers for shade, why it sulks for a year and then runs, and how to get it out of a border once it has spread.
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
How to grow Acer palmatum. Shelter from wind, why leaf scorch is not a disease, verticillium wilt, and the maple that is dangerous to horses.
Lords-And-Ladies
Arum maculatum
How to identify lords and ladies, Arum maculatum. The orange berry spike children eat, the burning mouth it causes, and how to tell it from wild garlic in spring.
Meadow Saffron
Colchicum autumnale
How to grow autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale. The leafless autumn flowers, why it is not saffron, the colchicine that makes it lethal and how it differs from a true crocus.
Monkshood
Aconitum napellus
How to grow Aconitum napellus, the most poisonous plant in British gardens. Handling it safely, dividing it in gloves, staking the stems, and why the root is the danger.
Montbretia
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora
How to grow crocosmia, Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora. Arching sprays of orange in late summer, dividing congested corms, and why montbretia escapes into the countryside.
Pampas grass
Cortaderia selloana
How to grow pampas grass, Cortaderia selloana. Cutting it back without shredding your hands, why male plants have no plumes, and its invasive record abroad.
Rowan
Sorbus aucuparia
How to grow rowan, Sorbus aucuparia. The best small tree for a British garden, berries for birds from August, and why it suits cold exposed places nothing else will.
Umbrella Bamboo
Fargesia murielae
How to grow Fargesia murielae, the umbrella bamboo. The clump-forming bamboo that cannot run, why almost every plant on Earth flowered and died in the 1990s, and where it beats Phyllostachys.
Wild Daffodil
Narcissus pseudonarcissus
How to grow and naturalise wild daffodils, Narcissus pseudonarcissus. Planting depth, why the leaves must be left alone, the sap that kills other cut flowers, and why the bulbs are dangerous.
Herbs and edibles
Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
How to grow blackberries, Rubus fruticosus. Choosing a thornless variety, training the canes so you never cut the wrong ones, and why the fruit turns sour after Michaelmas.
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. italica
How to grow broccoli, Brassica oleracea var. italica. Calabrese and purple sprouting are different crops, cutting for side shoots, and getting a spring harvest.
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
How to grow coriander, Coriandrum sativum. Why it bolts, why you must sow it direct rather than transplant, succession sowing for a steady supply, and harvesting the seed.
Grape vine
Vitis vinifera
How to grow grapes, Vitis vinifera. Choosing outdoor or greenhouse varieties, the rod and spur system, thinning the bunches, and why powdery mildew decides the crop.
Indoors
Devil's Ivy
Epipremnum aureum
How to grow pothos, Epipremnum aureum. Keeping the variegation, propagating in water, why a climbing plant grows different leaves, and the calcium oxalate that makes it toxic.
Living stones
Lithops lesliei
How to grow living stones, Lithops lesliei. The strict watering calendar, why you must not water while it splits, and the annual leaf change.