by Sara Milne
October is one of the most colourful times of the year.
Many flowers are still blooming and the leaves on trees and shrubs are beginning to change to fiery shades of red, yellow and orange.
It’s a good time to plant trees, shrubs and perennials, as the soil still has some warmth to help them get established. Try to get evergreens planted by the end of the month. Evergreen shrubs provide structure and form to the garden throughout the year, and many produce early displays of flowers followed by autumn berries.
Berry-bearing trees and shrubs come into their own this month, creating colourful displays that can last well into winter. From elderberries to rose hips and crab apples to pyracantha, berrying plants add a new dimension to the garden and provide home-grown food for hungry birds and other wildlife.
Don’t let the spines put you off buying pyracantha: these shrubs provide valuable nesting sites for birds and their flowers also attract bees. You could also explore the cotoneaster family – attractive ornamental shrubs with year-round appeal that make an excellent choice for low borders or can be trained to cover bare fences.
For many gardeners, October is a month for tidying up and getting plants and containers ready for winter. You can liven up a patio or balcony with an autumn colour-themed pot planted with winter pansies and heathers, mixed with striking foliage plants such as purple-leaved bugle (Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’) and glossy hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium).
In addition to creating colourful containers, one job to tackle this month is pruning bush or shrub roses by between one-third and a half. This reduces the risk of wind rock, which can loosen roots in windy weather. Cut the whole plant back to the same height using secateurs.
You can also check rose bushes for dead stems and cut these back to healthy growth. Dead stems are easy to spot while leaves are still on the plant, because they will be bare. Using loppers or secateurs, cut back to healthy green wood. If the whole stem is dead, cut it back to the point where it began growing.
For fruit and veg growers, now is the time to clear away crops that have finished and add them to the compost heap. You can protect the soil by mulching with a layer of your own compost, which will also improve it ready for next year. Now is a good time to plant any pot-grown fruit and place orders for bare-root stock to plant in winter. You can also plant out spring cabbages, finish planting autumn onion sets for cropping next summer and plant garlic cloves.
Some of the other garden jobs for October suggested by the RHS are:
- Move tender plants into a greenhouse or indoors
- Move or plant trees and shrubs
- Cut back perennials that have died down
- Divide herbaceous perennials such as hostas and irises
- Divide established rhubarb crowns to create new plants
- Harvest apples, pears, grapes and nuts
- Prune climbing roses
- Finish collecting seeds from the garden to sow next year
- Take the last chance to mow lawns and trim hedges in mild areas
