Gardening Advice and Helpful Tips
Your gardening advice for October.
Will Clark
Plant Area Manager
October is still a busy time in the garden. Will Clark shares his top jobs to get ahead of the game.
1. Golden days
Autumn is a time of year I really love. The days are getting shorter so make the most of good gardening weather whenever you get the chance and enjoy nature’s stunning seasonal show.
2. Winter jewels
A good weekend job is to plant up some pots of winter colour. Euphoria ‘Ascot rainbow’ makes a beautiful centrepiece surrounded by three red cyclamen and three yellow viola with a sprinkling of ivy to finish off. Add spring flowering alliums, tulips and daffodils for a splash of spring colour.
3. Hardy bunch
For a colourful and contemporary look, try a mix of hardier plants such as mini topiary Cupressus arizonica Fastigiata under planted with blue Festuca Glauca, white heathers and white and blue violas.
4. Merry berries
One of the best things about October is the abundance of berried plants, which really come into their own at this time of year. The vibrant red, orange or yellow berries of Pyracantha are a wonderful addition to any autumn garden. I also love Cotoneaster, Callicarpa and Gaultheria – the birds love them too!
6. Late bloomers
If you’re lucky enough to have a Geranium ‘Rozanne’, you’ll know how good it’s looking right now. Keep deadheading and this hardworking plant will keep flowering until the first frost.
7. The final cut
Cut the grass quite late if the weather stays warm. An autumn feed after summer will really help to strengthen the roots.
8. Ripe for success
Now is the best time to plant fruit trees, especially if you are planting in a container. Be sure to check the rootstock before you plant as you don’t want your tree growing out of its pot straight away.
9. Harvest festival
The veg plot is blooming and it’s time to harvest beetroots, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery and kale. Halloween is coming so let’s not forget pumpkins which should be ripe for picking now too. When making your lanterns, try making a pumpkin soup with the flesh rather than throwing it away!
9. Tidy up
Most of our perennials and borders are looking a bit tatty now so cut off brown leaves, remove weeds and add a layer of mulch.
10. Put down roots
Keep an eye on the weather before you plant trees or shrubs. If it turns out to be an Indian summer, you will need to keep them well watered. Acers, Rowan trees and Rhus typhina (Stag Horn’s Sumach) look spectacular in autumn with fiery coloured foliage.
Feature plant: Calluna
Calluna are types of heather that come in various colours, providing a spread of long-lasting flowers from July until November. The bees love them and they’re great for containers too!
More Advice?
Ruth McNamee
Greenhouse Senior
October on the Veg Plot...
October is a great month to get ahead in the veg patch, writes Ruth McNamee.
Choose a sunny sheltered spot to sow broad beans. The variety Aquadulce Claudia does well from autumn sowing. Sow a double row with seeds 20cm apart. These plants should germinate, stand over winter and quickly establish when the weather warms. The crop can be enjoyed a couple of weeks earlier than spring sown seeds.
You can start to plant out garlic this month 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart. This can be left to next month if preferred. And there is still time to plant out overwintering onions. Make a shallow drill and place the sets pointy end up 15cms apart in rows 30cms apart. Onions are ready to harvest early next summer. Try onion and garlic in big pots and keep in a sheltered spot for the best results.
October is a great month to get your permanent planting done. It’s a good time to establish your fruit and asparagus beds while the soil is still warm from the summer heat. Rhubarb and asparagus crowns will now be available in the garden centre. Prepare the beds by removing all weeds. These crops will be in these beds for many years so it helps to give them a good start.
May is the month where strawberries flower so mulch plants with straw.
Prune early flowering shrubs such as the Forsynthia and Weigela.
Direct sow basil next to tomato seedlings to help draw white fly away.
Veg seeds that can be sown outdoors include courgette, beetroot and sprouts.
Lift and divide your spring bulbs and plant where you want for next year.
Check all foliage for lily beetle and greenfly and dispose of any found.
Gardening Jobs for January
Buy seeds to be sown in January or February.
Buy seed potatoes, onion sets and garlic.
Appraise the garden for form and structure, and plan alterations and additions.
Plant window boxes and containers for seasonal colour.
Protect vulnerable plants from frost and wind damage.
Firm in any autumn-planted shrubs and border plants lifted by frost.
Knock snow off branches, especially on conifers and hedges, if they are bending under the weight.
Check stakes and ties on newly planted trees.
Remember the birds in the garden and put out food for them, especially when it’s frosty.
