I also remember last year’s storms and high winds that brought a swift, cruel end to any hopes of an Indian summer. Frost is now a distinct possibility in the country’s north, and at higher elevations, while down south, we should avoid subzero temperatures until at least November.
The best way to approach October is to expect little and count every fine day as a blessing. A carefully planned, well-tended garden will still have plenty to give before the trees lose their leaves next month. Pace yourself, but don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today, as it’ll be Christmas before you know it!
There is still time in the early morning and evening to enjoy quiet moments of contemplation and reflection. October is an excellent time to make plans and mentally note the volume of plants before they start shrinking back. If they irritate you, spread a layer of horticultural grit or finely crushed shells over the compost surface, and they’ll pester you no more.
Reappraise where your plants are positioned to ensure each one gets the optimal amount of light. Plants detest rapid temperature fluctuations, so avoid positions near radiators, in fireplaces, next to external doors or by drafty windows. I have already noticed that my houseplants can be left for twice or even three times as many days compared to the height of summer. Keep doors and windows open on warm days but close them up at night to maintain an even temperature.
Once tomatoes stop ripening naturally on their vines, pick any that have reached full size and pop them in a box, drawer or paper bag with a banana. Alternatively, make green tomato chutney.
Sow salads, pak choi, parsley and coriander for fresh crops of leaves over winter. However, layering bulbs in pots, sometimes called the ‘lasagne method’, can produce magical results and a succession of flowers for 2-3 months. If that can’t be provided, bananas, brugmansias, cannas, fuchsias and gingers will cope perfectly well in an unlit garage, basement or loft until they start growing again in April.
Conditions are ideal for dividing clumps of perennials, saving the most vigorous sections for replanting. Container-grown plants will settle in fast if planted now.
Wallflowers, forget-me-nots, pansies and violas can be moved into flowering positions. The stems can be quite brittle, so it’s not always possible to resurrect them once they’ve been flattened.
Keep clumps of nerines free of weeds and overhanging plants so their glistening flowers can be fully appreciated.
After an early frost, lift dahlias and gladioli, cutting the stems back to around 5cm. Keep the crates in a frost-free, dark place and check them every so often to ensure they’re still healthy. It will be a year or so before you can transplant hardwood cuttings so forget about them, and you should have vigorous new plants in twelve months’ time.
Wind can badly damage roses if they’re allowed to rock back and forth. Collect fallen leaves from under rose bushes so they don’t carry diseases over to the next year. Burn any diseased leaves, don’t compost them.
It’s been amazing to see how rapidly lawns have recovered after one of the driest years on record. Weed carefully between the crowns to make sure perennial weeds can’t get a foothold.
If you’re left with empty beds, sow green manure like winter rye. Once you’ve lifted every tuber from the soil, add a generous quantity of manure to restore fertility. Cover them with fleece or cloches if it gets very cold in the meantime.
Cut back herbs that have flowered, including sage, lemon balm, marjoram and mint. Make sure that mint is replanted in a confined space as it will spread and dominate its neighbours. You can also plant some varieties of shallot and onion now.
If your figs have not ripened, they are unlikely to do so now. You can buy grease bands from garden centres.
Cut out the fruited stems of blackberries, loganberries and autumn raspberries. Buddleja, hebes, sedums, Michaelmas daisies and ivy are among their favourite flowers to visit in October. If you don’t have fruit trees in your garden, hang apples from a branch or pergola instead.
