Flower Tasks for October

On growing this month

What looked awful in late August, now 6 weeks later looks flipping great! All the borders are full and you wouldn’t necessarily know the summer was that bad. The few annuals that made it to late summer are still flowering and still being cut.

After the challenge of a hot dry summer, after a hot dry spring, September served in unexpected ways. Lower temperatures but bright days, with decent rain and cool nights have allowed plants to recover and revive.

It’s a reminder, that whilst beds and plants looked exhausted above ground in the drought, their roots were deep enough to wear the trial. Like our lawns brown and dusty, they’ve sprung back green and verdant just weeks later. I feel validated in the ways I’ve been working with the solids (mulching / green manures / chop and drop) and how I have watered sparingly if at all. I’ll be following this next year and develop my research.

This month - On Growing Flowers

1. Review Planting

I love working in October - usually it’s mild and there still is no frost. So far this year, so good. Plants are full in the beds and I can still see the shape of the summer. Now is the time to review whilst this is still visible. Frost will shrink back plants. It will be difficult to remember what you want to keep or lift and divide, or move. Get into beds now and make notes about all of these things ahead of next months shift about.

This was the long border in July; it is so useful to take pictures of borders across the year to compare. I know the echinops really took over and right now they dominate.

This is not from another angle taken today. It’s hard to remember what is there in the spring so photos will really heap when thinking about how I want to rearrange and develop this scheme.

2. Labelling dahlias

I am lifting all the dahlias this year (if you don’t know whether to lift yours, this will be helpful). There are a lot of orange ones which I don’t want to keep whilst some utterly delicious singles that I have grown from seed. I’ll be crawling about with some flagging tape and a marker pen whilst I can still see the flowers. I’ll record the name if I can find the label / remember it. Or I might just write a description and make up some symbol for how much I love it. Like *** for must keep & plant, * for not wild about.

This is flagging tape. You can just pull it to rip it so quick and easy to do in the field. Here I was labelling chrysanthemums. The tape last for a few months before replacing labels next year. This has been my best solution for reminding me what is what!

3. Save seed

I am no longer deadheading plants but allowing seed to set and mature - how to save seed and why your own is always better here.

Taking photos of the plants with the seed can be a helpful ready reckoner of the plant!

Here are foxgloves, wallflower, panicle, sweet rocket, orlaya and larkspur. I don’t keep seeds in cellophane bags usually (see article above on saving seed and why saved seed is ALWAYS best) but this was for identifying seeds with a class earlier in the summer.

3. Plant Spring Bulbs

Almost any spring bulb can be planted now bar Tulips - wait until some decent frosts to do that. Next week I will be sharing my favourite bulbs for cutting to plant this autumn. Have a look at this organic bulb website in the meantime. Why organic? Have a look at this from Sally Morgan on the chemicals used to grow bulbs.

4. Bring in chrysanthemums & tender plants

Late autumn flowering chrysanthemums, like the house plants have had their summer holiday outside. I’m bringing in the chrysanthemums to flower in the polytunnel - the cold doesn’t bother them as much as the rain and damp does. These will begin flowering in mid October and could flower until Christmas. After a summer of tomato leaf scent, chrysanthemum leaves are so welcome now that those fruit have been cleared.

These were the late autumn chrysanthemums repotted in late spring. They live outside all summer and then bought in to the polytunnel from mid autumn.

These beauties flower at the end of October through to December and well worth the attention and wait!

5. Sow First Year Flowering Perennials.

Chilterns does a great list of these here. Perennials are the way forward for food and flowers, far more resilient than annuals and less effort required to grow them. They should be the stalwarts of any productive garden. Still time to sow these, in fact, perfect timing so their roots will grow steadily over the winter for flowers next summer.

6. Sow Autumn Sweet Peas.

This sowing will be planted in the polytunnel for spring sweet peas. Otherwise they could also be potted on and plant outside in March. Sweet peas are all about the roots so give them a chance to grow decent ones for brilliant flowering. A complete guide to growing the best ones here.

Can almost smell them

7. Presprout Amemones and Ranunculus

I’ve also started the majority of my ranunculus and anemones this weekend. Soaking the corms in water for a few hours and planting into trays to pre spout before planting out. Full 101 on growing these plants here

Tender plants in the trolley to come indoors.

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With love,