October Top Tips

SHRUB BORDER
 - Damaging frosts may occur at any time now. With this in mind make use of any remaining summer plants, such as dahlia and chrysanthemums for some cut flower or just colour in the garden.

 - Summer flowering bedding plants will now be past their best and should be replaced with winter flowering pansies for autumn and winter colour. Plants such as wallflowers, polyanthus, bellis daisy and For-get-me-Nots (Mysotis) will all be just green plants, these will flower next spring.

 - Remember to dig the soil over adding some fresh humus after the removal of summer bedding plants, raking in a top dressing of 'bonemeal' before planting any fresh autumn bedding plants or bulbs. If frost threatens pot up any remaining tender fuchsia or geraniums that you wish to over winter in the house, conservatory or a greenhouse.

 - Lift any begonia tubers you may wish to save for next year, remove as much soil as possible then leave the remainder to fall off naturally, over winter in frost free place.

 - By the end of the month Dahlia plants will have been frosted, cut off the brown tops to within 20cm of the tuber or ground level, lift the tubers, turn upside down for a few days to allow the moisture to drain out of the tuber. Clean up the tubers once dry and store in a frost free place for the winter, remember to make sure you have labelled your tubers before storing.

 - Other tender plants such as agapanthus will benefit from a little extra covering of soil or bark for the winter.

 - If not already done, rambler roses should be pruned and trained by now, the method is to prune out as much as possible all of the growth that has flowered, training in the new growth that the plant has made during this past growing season to flower next year.
 
SPRING FLOWERING BULBS
 - A good selection of spring flowering bulbs are still available such as daffodils, tulips, crocus, hyacinths, along with many dwarf flowering bulbs.

 - No garden can be complete without a clump of snowdrops and aconites, a welcome sight on a winters day. Many bulbs such as daffodils, narcissus and un-prepared hyacinths can still be planted in bowls or flower pots for flowering indoors in the new year. Remember if using a bowl with no drainage hole then bulb planting compost must be used.
 
LAWNS
 - Regular mowing comes to an end during October for the last cut or two, raise the cutter height and brush off dew or raindrops before cutting. The edges of the lawn should be trimmed for winter.

 - Apply Autumn Lawn dressings and fertilizers, carry out lawn repairs and complete the scarify or spiking jobs if not done last month.

 - Brush up fallen leaves, which will harm the grass if left on the lawn and encourage worm problems.

 - Dig out any patches of rough grass or weed areas, re-turf with good quality turf or re-seed. If moss is present in the lawn, use Moss Killer and not lawn sand at this time of year. 

 - On new lawns, seed sowing should have been completed but it is the ideal time to lay new turf.
 
HOUSEPLANTS
 - Finish bringing in any plants that have been outside for the summer also finish an repotting or potting on that needs to be done.

 - Slow down on feeding house plants unless they are actively still growing. Stop feeding at the end of October.

 - As the evenings get cooler take any tender plants off the window ledges before you draw the curtains at night.  - Continue to pot spring flowering bulbs for Christmas and the new year, keep them outside in a cool dark place and bring only a few pots in at a time to a warm room to flower in sucession. 

 - Be careful with watering now, do not over water, but remember when the central heating is on some plants may dry out quicker than others, it they are nears radiator, the air is very dry. Foliage plants can be misted daily in Autumn and winter to create humidity.

 - Any dull leaves can be cleaned with leafshine or leaf wipes. A good selection of colourful house plants are available, Cyclamen, Chrysanthemums, Orchids and Poinsettias a sure sign that the Christmas Season is approaching.
 
HEBACEOUS BORDER
 - Towards the end of October it is a good time of year to start cleaning up the border for winter. Some gardeners will tell you it is better to leave the dead tops on for the winter as protection to the crown of the plant, others will tell you it is better to trim all the top growth back and so the border can then be cleaned up. This makes for good health as well as tidiness, the soil can be lightly forked over between the plants to destroy any weeds and improve aeration.

 - Digging in some well composted manure at this time of year will help improve the soil fertility, giving the plants a good healthy start next spring. At the same time remove all canes or herbaceous supports and store them in a dry place to help prevent decay.
 
FRUIT GARDEN
 - The gathering of apples and pears are a priority this month, the test to see if the fruit is ready to pick is to lift the fruit gently with slight pressure on the stalk from the thumb at the same time. If it comes away readily, it is ready for picking, no attempt should be made to tear the fruit from the tree.

 - Sometimes it pays to pick over a tree several times at intervals of a few days as all the fruit may not mature together. Handle all fruit with care and only store really sound fruits. Inspect all the fruits that you store reguraly and remove any that show signs of decay immediately or neighbouring fruits will also become rotten.

 - It's is a good plan to select some of the really sound late-keeping apples such as Bramley seedling, Newton Wonder and Laxton's Superb, wrap them up individually in tissue paper and store them away for use later. Raspberries often throw up more basel growths at this time of year, it is wise to cut them away. Canes will crop better next year if they have been permanently tied into position.

 - Autumn gales are often severe and badly tied growths of blackberries and loganberries may often be broken which will mean loss of fruit next year.

 - It is wise to really have a good clean up in the fruit garden after leaf fall, rake up and burn if possible as if they are left to decompose on the ground they will be a host for many pest and dieases next year.
 
VEGETABLE GARDEN
 - It is harvest time for vegetables now before cold frosty nights set in. Gather all sizeable, ripe marrows and store them in a dry, frost-proof shed. All main crop potatoes should be lifted and stored now. As you pick up the tubers any that are damaged by the fork or diseased should not be kept for storing.

 - Onions can be stored on ropes or slatted shelves in a dry shed or garage, make sure they are clean and and loose soil is removed.

 - Make the best of the last runner and french beans pick them before the frosts come.

 - Lift any late sown carrots and beetroot now before they deteriate in the soil.

 - If you have a garden frame, plant some lettuce seedlings for a winter salad.

 - Pot up some parsley in pots and place in the frame they will continue to grow a little for kichen use for the next few weeks.
 
BEDDING PLANTS
 - Summer annuals will have finished by now, so it is urgent that you remove them as soon as possible. Dig the soil over adding a little fertilizer to enrich the soil before you plant winter bedding to flower next spring. Wallfowers, Polyanthus, Sweet Williams, Bellis Daisy, Pansy and Viola will be in plentiful supply until the end of October. 

 - Do not forget to plant your spring bulbs as you plant your bedding again there should be a good supply available until the end of the month. Miracle cyclamen, Erica Gracilis and Yoder Chrysanthemuns will make an instant splash of colour until the end of November in containers, window boxes and borders.
 
GARDEN POND
 - As autumn sets in it is the last chance to repot any pond plants before winter, use pond baskets, hessian liners and aquactic soil. Ordinary garden soil or John Innes Compost contains lime.

 - Vacuum out any excess sluge from the bottom of the pond.

 - Fish feeding can continue using a 'staple diet food'. Make sure all pond equipment is functioning and well maintained.  - Keep the pond water moving as much as possible to give the fish some air using water fall or fountains. Many of the floating plants will suffer frost damage unless protected.
 
TREES & SHRUBS
 - Enjoy the autumn colours, leaves and berries.

 - Take time out to visit open gardens, stately homes, arboretums or just a drive around Milton Keynes, or your local area town or village, to look at the vast array of colour.

 - Some shrubs are still in flower such as Abelia X Grandiflora, Calluna vulgaris (summer flowering heathers) , Caryopteris, Ceratostigma griffthii and willmotianum, some of the early flowering Erica carneas (winter heathers) Erica Vagans (Cornish Heath) Fatsia Japonica, Hardy fuchsias, Hibiscus, Hydrangea, Hypericum, Potentilla.well know varieties of Parthenocissus such as Veichii, Henryana and Quinquefolia will all be at their best during this month giving a glorious array of reds, oranges yellows and browns before the really hard winter frosts come and then shed their leaves.

 - After enjoying all this colour make sure that all any newly planted trees, shrubs or climbers are all securely staked and supported before are autumn storms do any damage.

 - October is a good month to purchase any new trees and shrubs as the soil is still warm and dry so plants should establish well before the real winter weather sets in.

 - Our Garden Centres are full of freshly potted roses which have be field grown for the past year, are well established bushes. A good selection of fresh young fruit trees and bushes recently supplied to our Garden Gentres are now available. This is a good gardening month, so wrap warm and enjoy it.
 
OCTOBER TOP TIP
The autumn colours of leaves and berries are now at their best, so always have a notebook handy to record the names of any trees, shrubs or plants that you like, so that you can purchase these for your garden.