Gardening by Month - October
October is a fantastic month for planting, especially as all the recent rain has made the ground easier to work. By planting now, you can take advantage of warm soil that encourages root growth, and many hardy plants will establish quickly over the autumn.
The heuchera is a highly ornamental evergreen herbaceous plant that’s ideal on the patio or in the garden. It has year-round appeal and comes into its own in autumn when the leaf colours often take on autumnal hues, giving lovely seasonal shades at a time when colour is fading in the garden.
Heucheras are tough and are good for ground cover in sun or shade, making them a very practical and attractive plant. They mix well with country garden favourites like aster, rudbeckia and sedum, along with grasses such as panicum and miscanthus.
The wallflower is very easy to grow and a great choice for autumn colour. Some will bloom again in the spring. It’s a sun worshipper, so plant in full sun, sheltered from strong winds. It grows best in well-drained soil.
The wallflower has narrow, dark grey-green leaves and pretty, upright flowers. After it has flowered, trim lightly to keep its rounded shape. There are various shades available. A favourite variety is Aida, which flowers in autumn and again in spring. The flowers are sweetly scented, so enjoy their fragrance by planting in containers or sunny flowerbeds near your door.
You can also plant fruit trees and bushes this month, including apples and pear trees, raspberry bushes and blueberries.
Brighten up existing patio pots by replacing summer bedding with wintery interest. Conifers are our Plants of the Month, so choose an evergreen conifer as the central plant with heuchera, ivy and thyme added for foliage around the edge.
Create a multi-tasking autumn container or hanging basket by underplanting with spring bulbs. There’s a full selection of bulbs at the garden centre, including daffodils, crocus and scented hyacinth. Delicate bulbs such as crocus and tête à tête look particularly lovely in containers. Plant the bulbs first, then add your selection of autumn bedding plants for a long-lasting burst of colour. Enriching the soil with a bulb feed helps them during their spring growth.
Tulip bulbs can be planted now. If you haven’t already chosen yours, there are some fantastic varieties available at Garsons for the wow-factor next year. They like a sunny position and well-drained soil to stop the bulbs getting waterlogged.
Remember to keep new additions in the garden watered during dry spells. It’s easy to forget when we’ve had so much rain lately!
Until next month, enjoy your autumnal garden.
