October Garden Diary
October is here. Colours are turning, growth is slowing and suddenly there is less urgency to get things done in the garden. In a way it’s a sigh of relief that the pressure is off. There is so much less to do in the garden at this time of year; you can just let it relax into itself. In the borders there is still masses of colour from asters, sedums, rudbeckias and salvias. The dahlias and cosmos are hanging on in there (although I’ve given up the deadheading now) and the grasses are turning golden. When I planned the planting combinations in the borders right at the beginning of this garden I wanted to make sure there was enough going on at this time of year so I divided the plant list up into different seasons and made sure I had at least one or two plants that I knew would be providing a focus in these less flowery times of year. It just helps to focus the mind so that you include in your mix those late-flowering stalwarts that bridge the gap between summer and autumn.
Usually the veg garden starts emptying out at this time of year as I’m never well organised enough to raise autumn veg from seed. But this year I bought plug plants from Rocket Gardens, and now have lots of winter salads (mustards and mizuna) as well as turnips, chard and leeks. I always feel that buying plug plants is cheating, but why do I beat myself up about these things?! My life is super-busy and I’m always chasing my tail, so buying good quality plants that go straight into the ground makes complete sense, although clearly not as cheap as growing them from seed. My veg plot is a no-dig zone nowadays, so after the beans and the pumpkins were cleared, I put on a layer of my own well rotted compost and planted straight into that.
October is a good month to divide perennials, and I always earmark a few clumps that have become overgrown. Fast-growing, thuggish perennials such as Phlomis russelliana need dividing every other year (and seedlings removed); other perennials benefit from being divided every three to four years to keep them vigorous, and to stop them pushing other plants out. As long as the weather isn’t very wet or very dry you can lift perennials at any time in autumn (or in early spring) and you can dig up whole sections of border if it all needs reinvigorating. Put the plants aside, split them, and then replant, giving them the space they need to luxuriate again. Some smaller plants have fibrous roots that pull apart easily while others form clumps that can be split using two forks back to back; perennials with woody crowns or fleshy roots may need cutting with a sharp spade or knife. Plant divisions as soon as possible and water them in well, making sure they don’t dry out while they are re-establishing.
Bulb planting is the other thing you might be turning your mind to at this time of year. Spring bulbs such as camassias, narcissus, fritillaries and tulips can all be planted now - although I tend to leave all my bulb planting until towards the end of October and into November. The tulips in particular benefit from being planted slightly later as if the temperatures are too warm they are more likely to succumb to fungal infection.
Garden tasks for October
• divide overgrown herbaceous perennials and established rhubarb crowns
• cut back any early summer perennials that have died back
• prune climbing roses
• harvest apples, pears and nuts
• plant spring bulbs such as narcissi, fritillaries and spring crocus
• empty summer pots and replant with spring bulbs