September in your Cool Temperate garden

You won't need huge quantities of fertiliser for naturalised bulbs to be successful, so long as much of the product of photosynthesis is allowed to return to the bulb. Leaves can be cut off about six weeks after flowering. During this time apply Phostrogen Plant Food to provide a nutrient boost for the next year's growth.

Many winter and spring flowering shrubs can be pruned now. Camellias may need light pruning to maintain shape. Tassel bush (Garrya elliptica), Japanese flowering quince (Chanomeles japonica), Spiraeas and dwarf almonds.(Prunus glandulosa) can all be pruned as they finish flowering.

If any camellias, azaleas and daphnes are in the wrong location in the garden, you can transplant them as they finish flowering. Dig them with a large rootball and add suitable organic compost to the soil at the planting site. Re-plant them at their original level and keep them well watered. Fertilise lightly with Phostrogen Plant Food to encourage growth and establishment. Keep them mulched and well watered throughout the summer.

Apply Debco Rose Compost to roses as they begin to shoot, to encourage spring flowering.

Plant up tubs for early summer colour as winter displays with bulbs come to an end. Use Debco Terracotta & Tub for containers to obtain the best results.

Re-pot established shrubs in containers, for example box and cumquats. Either upgrade existing mix with Debco Pot Mate or replace the bulk of the mix with Debco Terracotta & Tub Mixture, undertaking root pruning of the shrub at the same time. When you are using Debco Pot Mate, the addition of a little lime is a good idea.

When the soil has become wet following rain, apply Debco Mulch'n'Feed over the garden. Ensure you do not build the mulch up against the stems of shrubs. The mulch should be approximately 75mm deep.

French and Runner beans can be planted in soil that has been previously fertilised with suitable organic compost together with a fertiliser of superphosphate and sulphate of ammonia.

Plant the seeds 4cm deep and 20cm apart for dwarf plants, and 15cm apart for climbing plants to be grown on a vigorous structure. Mulch with Debco Mulch'n'Feed and water regularly for consistent growth, especially at flowering time. Apply Phostrogen Plant Food fortnightly.