There comes a point every September when a garden starts to tell you quite a lot about itself.
Summer isn't quite over, but the days are noticeably shorter. Plants are beginning to change, the light is different and we're probably spending a little less time outside.
For me, this is actually one of the most useful times of year to look at a garden.
Not necessarily to start working on it.
Just to look at it.
Because after spending a summer using your garden, you know far more about it than you did in spring.
Where Did You Actually Sit?
This sounds incredibly obvious, but it's something I find fascinating.
We can design a beautiful seating area, put furniture on it and create what appears to be the perfect place to spend a summer evening.
And then everybody sits somewhere else.
Gardens don't always get used in the way we imagine they will.
Perhaps the main terrace gets too hot in the afternoon.
Perhaps there's a small corner that catches the evening sun.
Maybe everybody naturally gravitates towards the kitchen doors because carrying food and drinks to the other end of the garden becomes irritating.
None of those things necessarily mean the garden is badly designed.
They tell us something about how you live in it.
And that's useful information.
Where Was the Sun?
By September, you've experienced the garden through most of the period when you actually want to use it.
You know where the morning sun falls.
You know which areas become unbearably hot on a sunny afternoon.
And you probably know where you end up moving your chair to catch the last bit of evening sunshine.
That should influence garden design.
It's one reason I'm reluctant to design a garden purely from a plan.
A drawing can tell me where north is.
It can't tell me that at seven o'clock on a summer evening there's a lovely patch of sunlight beneath a particular tree where you instinctively want to sit.
Those little observations matter.
Which Plants Actually Worked?
September is also quite revealing when it comes to planting.
Some plants will still be looking fantastic.
Others might have had their moment months ago.
That's not necessarily a problem. A garden should change through the seasons.
What we're looking for is balance.
If everything looked wonderful in June and there's nothing interesting left by September, perhaps the planting needs another layer.
Late-flowering perennials, ornamental grasses, plants with interesting seed heads and trees with good autumn colour can extend the garden far beyond midsummer.
This is where designing with plants becomes much more interesting than simply choosing things we like.
We're designing a sequence.
Something should always be preparing to take over from something else.
What Happened When It Rained?
This is the less glamorous bit.
Where did the water go?
Did the lawn become boggy?
Did water sit against the edge of the paving?
Did a particular border remain permanently wet while another dried out almost immediately?
Water tells us an enormous amount about a garden.
And increasingly, good garden design needs to consider what happens during both very wet periods and extended dry spells.
Sometimes the solution is drainage.
Sometimes it's improving the soil.
Sometimes it's choosing plants that actually like the conditions rather than constantly trying to change those conditions.
And sometimes it's about finding ways of keeping useful rainwater within the garden rather than getting rid of it as quickly as possible.
What Does the Garden Look Like From Inside?
As the evenings get darker, this becomes much more noticeable.
During summer, the garden beyond the windows is almost an extension of the house.
Then autumn arrives.
Without lighting, that view can suddenly become a black rectangle.
This is when you begin to appreciate what carefully considered garden lighting can do.
Not lots of lights.
Just the right ones.
Perhaps a tree illuminated at the end of the garden.
A little light catching the texture of a wall.
Or grasses gently backlit near the house.
You don't necessarily need to illuminate the whole garden.
Sometimes one beautifully lit tree is enough to make you feel that the garden is still there.
What Didn't You Use?
This might be the most useful question of all.
Did you use the fire pit?
Did anybody sit on that bench?
Did you cook outside?
Did the children actually use the lawn?
Did you ever walk down that path?
Gardens are full of things we're told we should have.
Lawns.
Dining areas.
Outdoor kitchens.
Fire pits.
Water features.
Pergolas.
But good garden design isn't about fitting as many features as possible into the available space.
It's about deciding which ones genuinely improve the way you use it.
Sometimes taking something away improves a garden far more than adding something new.
Take Some Photographs Now
If you're thinking about changing your garden next year, I'd recommend doing something very simple this weekend.
Take photographs.
Not just the attractive ones.
Photograph the areas that annoy you.
The corner nobody uses.
The border that didn't work.
The place where water collects.
The view from the kitchen window.
And take a few photographs at different times of day.
By February, you'll have forgotten a surprising amount about how the garden behaved during summer.
Those photographs become incredibly useful.
Don't Wait Until Spring to Start Thinking
Every spring, people suddenly decide they want a new garden.
Understandably, that's when the sun comes out and our attention turns outside again.
But some of the best information for designing that garden is available now.
September gives you the chance to look back over an entire summer and ask a very simple question:
What would have made this garden better?
Not what would make it more fashionable.
Not what somebody else's garden has.
What would genuinely make your garden better?
That's usually where the best garden designs begin.