Gardening Calendar - October

Autumn has officially arrived which means golden hues, rich burgundy red leaves, and dew sparkles on the morning grass. Autumn is a vibrant and productive season in the garden, perfect for planting, tidying, and preparing for winter.

October is the time to divide herbaceous perennials. Autumn division is the best way to reinvigorate established clumps of early summer flowering perennials and make new plants. It’s also the perfect time to plant spring-flowering bulbs like daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths to ensure a colourful start to the next growing season.

Trees bring so many benefits, not just to us and our gardens, and now is the perfect time to plant them. Trees and shrubs such as Nyssa Sylvatica, Japanese Maples, and Paperbark Maples offer striking autumn foliage and winter interest.

When the leaves start to fall, it's a good idea to clear leaves from lawns to keep the grass healthy. Use a rake or battery-powered leaf blower and keep the leaves to make leaf mould for feeding next year’s plants. Do this by piling leaves in wire cages and leaving them to break down. If you’re tight on space use strong bags tied at the top and add puncture holes near the base for air to circulate. This makes a good mulch to use on your plants the following year.

Lawns will now be growing back and starting to recover from months without rain. Feeding your lawn an autumn lawn feed and overseeding any bare or thin patches will make sure your lawn enters winter in the best possible shape.

Autumn is also time to support wildlife. Leaving small leaf piles under hedges provides shelter for overwintering creatures. Leave seedheads, too as these will provide food for birds. Take down bird boxes and empty them. Old nesting material and debris may carry diseases, so wash out the boxes with hot water before putting them back up as these will provide crucial winter roosting sites for many garden birds. Also remember to clean out feeders and bird baths on a weekly basis.  As natural food like berries and insects begin to dwindle birds will rely on a regular supply of food from gardens.