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Planting guide · Summer (Jun–Sep)

What to plant in September in Dubai

Gardening's new year: prepare the soil
Mean high39.5°CMean low28.9°CTo sow or plant25Flowering or fruiting45

September is gardening's new year in Dubai, even though it still feels like summer. Highs average 39.5°C, but the days are shortening, the midday outdoor work ban ends on 15 September, and the first rhythm of the cool-season year begins: soil preparation, seedlings, and a handful of crops that relish the last of the heat.

Start with the ground. Clear what is spent, water deeply to wash out summer's salts, then fork in compost or aged manure so it has settled by October. Heat-loving vegetables go out as seed or seedlings now: cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkin, beans and corn, with tomatoes and peppers transplanted under afternoon shade. Sow Basil and Zinnia, and plant Marigold. Cool-season crops wait for October and November. Patch or overseed warm-season lawns, and bring shade cloth down gradually as the weather eases. Dubai Municipality starts its early-winter bedding in September, which is your cue too.

A Dubai villa garden in summer: a cream shade sail over the terrace, bougainvillea in bloom, a green lawn and flower-filled planters beside a bright turquoise pool
  1. Jan24°
  2. Feb26°
  3. Mar29°
  4. Apr34°
  5. May38°
  6. Jun40°
  7. Jul42°
  8. Aug42°
  9. Sep40°
  10. Oct36°
  11. Nov31°
  12. Dec27°
  • Soil prep
  • Prime planting
  • Bloom and harvest
  • Last planting
  • Survival

Bar and figure: mean daily maximum, °C

Plant now

Sow and plant in September

25 plants have a sowing or planting window this month in our library, best bets first.

Vegetables & herbs (6)

Edible crops, herbs and fruit

Mint
Mint (Mentha spicata), a clean sprig with green leaves

Mint

Mentha spicata

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant
Basil
Ocimum basilicum 8zz

Basil

Ocimum basilicum

Sun/part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Cherry tomato
Cherry Tomatoes From The Garden

Cherry tomato

Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme

Full sunSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Chilli
Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

Chilli

Capsicum annuum

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Aubergine
An Aubergine plant “Moneymaker F1” (Solanum melongena) growing in a greenhouse within in the village of Trimingham, N...

Aubergine

Solanum melongena

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Cucumber
ARS cucumber

Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Plant

Flowers (4)

Bedding and flowering annuals

Marigold
The flower in bloom of a Tagetes erecta found in Innis Woods Metro Park.

Marigold

Tagetes erecta

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Zinnia
Close-up of a zinnia flower (Zinnia elegans) Stacked with Helicon Focus from 15 pictures, taken in a garden in Bamber...

Zinnia

Zinnia elegans

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Petunia
Volunteer petunia growing from a sidewalk crack in a city neighborhood in Pittsburgh

Petunia

Petunia × atkinsiana

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Flowers
Heliconia
Near Palm Tree House, Woodfordhill, Dominica, W.I.

Heliconia

Heliconia psittacorum

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers

Trees & palms (1)

Shade, structure and fruit

Moringa
Moringa oleifera. Common names: Drumstick Tree. Horseradish Tree.

Moringa

Moringa oleifera

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Adapted
Flowers

Shrubs & climbers (6)

Borders, hedges, succulents and groundcover

Aloe vera
Aloe vera (habit). Location: Maui, Kalepolepo

Aloe vera

Aloe vera

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Adapted
Flowers
Wedelia
Creeping Oxeye (scientifically known as Sphagneticola trilobata) is a fast-growing, mat-forming perennial herb widely...

Wedelia

Sphagneticola trilobata

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Caution
Flowers
Agave
A specimen of a Century plant (Agave americana) in the countryside within the neighbourhood of Mosqueira, north of th...

Agave

Agave americana

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Plant
Desert Rose
Desert rose (Adenium obesum) with pink flowers and a swollen caudex

Desert Rose

Adenium obesum

Full sunSalt: 2 of 5
Native
Flowers
Crown of thorns
Full bloom during a rainy day

Crown of thorns

Euphorbia milii

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Caution
Flowers
Elephant ear
Alocasia macrorrhiza specimen in the Jardin botanique du Val Rahmeh, Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France.

Elephant ear

Alocasia macrorrhizos

Part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Plant

Lawn & grasses (5)

Turf and ornamental grasses

Desert grass
Desert grass and clipped shrubs in a corten-edged bed in a desert-modern Dubai garden

Desert grass

Pennisetum divisum

Full sunSalt: 4 of 5
Native
Flowers
Bermuda grass
Cynodon dactylon (Couch Grass) photographed on a private property in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.

Bermuda grass

Cynodon dactylon

Full sunSalt: 3 of 5
Adapted
Plant
Zoysia grass
​在一個庭園裡的「臺北草」與造景兼具實際功能的踏腳石等。

Zoysia grass

Zoysia matrella

Sun/part shadeSalt: 3 of 5
Plant
St Augustine grass
Starr-160716-0140-Stenotaphrum secundatum-habit with Quercus sp-Boca Regional Hospital-Florida (29668096745)

St Augustine grass

Stenotaphrum secundatum

Sun/part shadeSalt: 3 of 5
Plant

Water plants (3)

Ponds, rills and water features

Umbrella Sedge
Cyperus alternifolius, Landscape plants of the UAE, Monocotyledonous flower

Umbrella Sedge

Cyperus involucratus

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Adapted
Plant
Water Lily
A flower of the 'Peach Glow' cultivar of hardy water-lily (genus Nymphaea), photographed just after rain at the Brook...

Water Lily

Nymphaea (tropical hybrids)

Sun/part shadeSalt: 1 of 5
Flowers
Papyrus
Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary, UGANDA

Papyrus

Cyperus papyrus

Sun/part shadeSalt: 2 of 5
Plant
A sunny Dubai apartment balcony with pots of basil, mint, coriander, rosemary, chillies and a curry-leaf plant

Sow herbs

Herbs can go in as the new year starts

Basil, coriander, parsley and dill can be sown from September in pots or beds with afternoon shade for the first few weeks.

Herbs for Dubai

In flower or fruiting now

What is at its best in September

45 plants are in flower, fruit or harvest this month, so there is something to cut, pick or simply enjoy.
UAE native tree.Vachellia tortilis
Fruiting

Samr

Vachellia tortilis

A Flame tree against brick building in Mali. Tree is Delonix regia commonly known as Royal Poinciana.
Fruiting

Royal Poinciana

Delonix regia

This Plumeria rubra tree was photographed at Pune.
In flower

Frangipani

Plumeria rubra

Wild Olive tree — Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata. Cape Town.
Fruiting

Olive

Olea europaea

Moringa oleifera. Common names: Drumstick Tree. Horseradish Tree.
Harvest

Moringa

Moringa oleifera

Date palms lining a travertine path in a manicured Dubai villa garden
Harvest

Date Palm

Phoenix dactylifera

A Mexican Fan Palm tree in Enterprise, Alabama.
Fruiting

Washingtonia Palm

Washingtonia robusta

Foxtail Palm at SeaWorld Orlando in Orange County, FL
In flower

Foxtail Palm

Wodyetia bifurcata

Also at it this month

Bismarck Palm (fruiting),Arabian Jasmine (in flower),Ixora (in flower),Hibiscus (in flower),Oleander (in flower),Lantana (in flower),Texas Sage (in flower),Sea Jasmine (in flower),Desert Rose (in flower),Vinca (in flower),Portulaca (in flower),Wedelia (in flower),Banana (in flower, fruiting),Heliconia (in flower),Fig (harvest),Pomegranate (fruiting, harvest),Guava (harvest),Papaya (harvest),Okra (in flower, harvest),Curry leaf (in flower, fruiting, harvest),Duranta (in flower, fruiting),Jatropha (in flower),Ruellia (in flower),Natal Plum (fruiting),Golden Shower Tree (fruiting),Purple fountain grass (in flower),Lemongrass (harvest),Mondo grass (fruiting),Coral vine (in flower),Rangoon creeper (in flower),Allamanda (in flower),Passion flower (in flower),Sesuvium (in flower),Celosia (in flower),Prickly Pear (fruiting),Water Lily (in flower),Lotus (in flower)

Jobs this month

Heat begins to ease toward the end of the month

Garden

  • Water before 8am or after 6pm to reduce evaporation loss, per DEWA guidance
  • Check drip lines weekly as the work-ban period ends mid-month
  • Start planning the season's planting list and lawn renovation
  • Begin reducing shade cloth gradually as temperatures start to ease

Pool

  • Continue weekly chemistry checks as heat is still high early in the month
  • Inspect equipment ahead of the busier autumn pool season

Our tips for September

  • Prepare the soil first

    Clear spent plants, flush the beds with a deep irrigation, then add compost or aged manure. Good soil is the biggest lever you have.

  • Plant the heat-lovers

    Cucumbers, courgettes, pumpkins, beans, corn and tomato transplants can all go in with afternoon shade for the first fortnight.

  • Sow the early flowers and herbs

    Basil and zinnia can be sown now, and marigold planted, so the first colour arrives well ahead of winter.

  • Overseed or patch the lawn

    Seashore paspalum and Bermuda grass still grow strongly in warm soil, so thin areas fill quickly.

  • Ease the shade cloth back slowly

    Remove or thin it over a few weeks as the sun eases, so established plants are not suddenly exposed.

Watch out for

Common September mistakes

  • Still 39°C

    Plant at dusk, shade for the first fortnight and water twice a day until roots take hold.

  • Sowing lettuce too soon

    Heat-sensitive crops like lettuce, spinach and peas bolt or fail in September. Wait until October or November.

  • The work ban ends on 15 September

    Until then there is no outdoor work between 12:30 and 15:00, so plan big jobs for the morning, and for after the ban lifts.

Keep reading

Guides for this time of year

A Dubai villa garden in spring: frangipani in full leaf and bougainvillea in bloom around a travertine pool under a timber pergola

Planting

The UAE planting calendar: what to plant in Dubai, month by month

Dubai's growing year runs backwards from Europe's: October to March is the cool season and the busy planting window, while April to September is mostly about keeping things alive.

29 Sept 2026 · 5 min read

Macro shot of a drip emitter releasing a bead of water onto dark mulch at the base of a flowering bougainvillea, dew on the leaves

Costs & water

Watering your garden through a Dubai summer

Water before 8am or after 6pm, favour drip over spray, and expect new planting to need far more water than anything established — plus what it actually costs on your DEWA bill.

29 Sept 2026 · 5 min read

Get it done

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Our team plants, prepares soil and sets up irrigation across Dubai, and Garden Care keeps it all alive through summer.

Sources

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