October

An autumn tribute

October is a lovely time of year where the cool green of summer has transformed into the rich colours of autumn & a day spent in the garden is rewarded by a mug of hot chocolate in front of the fire. Make sure you get into the countryside or parks to make the most of the colours before wintry winds blow the leaves off the trees! Autumn is also a time for having a good clear out in the garden & introducing some winter colour. Don’t get too carried away though, remember that the wildlife in your garden will be looking for protection over the winter too!

October Colour

Once you have tidied the garden & removed your summer bedding you may find that the garden is lacking in colour or structure. A trip to the garden centre will give you inspiration & ideas on which plants are going to give you colour through October.

If you only have a small area to plant up why not try Rudbeckia, chrysanthemums or Michaelmas daisies and for an area near the front of the border there is a large range of sedums available or the delicate flowers of the kaffir lily - Schizostylis coccinea. Try planting some autumn flowering crocus, they look especially effective when naturalised beneath trees.

If your garden is lacking in structure why not consider getting colour from fruit, you can enjoy a good display and feed the birds too. Look at the variety of hollies or pyracantha's that are available, they come in a range of berry colours and can be pruned to fit the area you have available. If you have space for a tree, how about a cotoneaster or rowan or go for colourful foliage by letting Parthenocissus scramble over your walls or for a smaller area try Vitis coignetiae, the crimson glory vine, with its large plate like leaves.

Planting & Sowing

October is the ideal month for planting and is nature's preferred planting time.  By planting in October shrubs, trees and perennials can become firmly rooted before winter, which gives them an advantage in the spring compared to plants which are planted then

It is also the time to start planting your bulbs. Get the whole family involved and make it a special event, don't forget to plant up lots of tubs to display near doorways and on the patio. Plant any excess bulbs in plastic pots which can then be used to fill any gaps that appear in your spring border.

• If your summer bedding is looking past its best it is time to remove it from borders & tubs and replace it with winter bedding & bulbs or perhaps a new shrub or tree.
• Plant up prepared hyacinths for Christmas.
• Sow sweet peas for overwintering under glass.
• October is also a good time for establishing new hedges, planting fruit trees and bushes and laying new lawns.
• Plant strawberry pants or well rooted strawberry runners into pots or prepared soil.
• Move and plant conifers and other evergreens plus hardy trees & shrubs.
• Plant heathers. Plant them two centimetres deeper than the plants are supplied in their pots. This prevents them from being tugged by strong winds, which can interfere with the roots becoming established. Planting deeper also prevents the sun from shining on the roots.
• In mild areas sow overwintering broad beans, finish planting onion sets and plant garlic.
• Take hardwood cuttings from roses, Cotinus and blackberries, among others.

Maintenance

Dahlias, tuberous begonias, Gladioli, Ixias, etc. are too tender to leave in the garden & will rot over winter so now is the time to dig them up. Wait until the foliage on the dahlias has been blackening then lift the tubers. Cut stems two centimetres above the bulb or tuber and leave the stumps to dry out in a dry, well-ventilated spot. After a while they will have dried out enough for most the soil to fall off - store the bulbs or tubers in a cool place which is usually damp.

• Rake up leaves and store them in old compost bags or in a compost bin to rot down to leaf mould.
• Pick any remaining crops before they are spoilt by frosts including apples, pears, pumpkins, squashes and marrows.
• Lift late crops of turnips, potatoes, beetroot and carrots and store in a dry frost-free place until needed.
• Dig over heavy soil and leave for the frosts to do the hard work of breaking it up.
• Keep rhododendrons & camellias well watered as they are now forming next year’s flower buds.
• Protect tender plants such as Gunnera & palms that will have to remain outside over winter.
• Clear out & clean the greenhouse to get it ready for over-wintering tender perennials.
• Cut back and dispose of any growth affected by powdery mildew, whatever the plant.
• Divide and replant perennials as they die back.
• Lift and divide rhubarb crowns.
• Apply barrier grease to fruit trees to protect them from winter moth.
• Spray nectarines & peach trees, just before the leaves fall, against peach leaf curl using copper fungicide.
• Complete your autumn lawn restorations of scarifying, aerating, topdressing and feeding.

Pruning

A number of trees can bleed heavily if pruned in the spring because the sap flows are particularly strong then. It is therefore better to prune varieties such as birches, maples and walnut now if necessary.

• Cut back browned asparagus foliage and compost.
• Prune large shrubs such as Lavatera & Buddleja plus climbing roses & rose bushes in exposed areas to minimize damage from windrock.
• Cut back marginal plants in ponds and yellowing leaves on waterlilies.