October Notes from the Studio

Garden tasks and growing flowers

What to do in October

September wasn’t the usual gorgeous warm autumnal period as I have come to expect, but maybe October is looking more favourable. Because last month was basically a wash out, I have a long list of tasks I want to do this autumn. A new planting scheme and bed layout, fencing out the wild rabbits and deer and generally preparing for the next growing season. Boxes of bulbs have arrived and last packets of seeds to be sown this year. Can you tell I am optimistic?

Here is this month’s list of my top recommended tasks to get the best of, and enjoy your garden and growing space.

1. Pick flowers, dead head, label & save seed

   In the gardens here, late asters, salvias, chrysanthemums and dahlias are still flowering well. I’m picking flowers and also letting some run to seed to collect. (how to save and why your own saved seed is always better). Finally, I’m labelling dahlias for the ones I want to take cuttings off in the spring.

   

2. Plant Spring Bulbs

   The bulbs have an arrived, I’m begining to plant out. You’ve got weeks yet to do this but certainly order yours if you haven’t done yet! I have narissus going into the field plot for permanent planting, some in the long border and others into pots. oo and forcing some for indoors. I really love narcissus. (list here for my favourites and links to buy) Tulips need to wait until some good frosts, so no rush there. Top tip is to plant any bulb about twice the height of itself. If you have heavy wet clay, some horticultural grit beneath a bulb will really help with draining and preventing rot.

   I’m also planting alliums which like a warmer soil, so now is perfect timing with iris and fritillary.

   

3. 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. We are repotting house plants and succulents. Most come into the house or the studio to over winter.

   (whilst you are at it, lay out squashes in the open for their skins to harden for storage)

   

4. 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 resources 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 streadily over the winter for flowers next summer.

   

5. Sow Autumn Sweet Peas.

   I soaked mine last night in a cup of water and will drop these into root trainers today to grow on. These ones I aim to plant in the polytunnel for spring sweet peas. Otherwise, you can pot on and plant out 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.

   

   Soaking sweet peas on damp kitchen towel. Sow those that swell and sprout through the hard casing.

6. 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

   

   Planting rehydrated corms into trays to sprout.

   

   Tender plants in the trolley to come indoors.

Harvesting

What you are picking, or aim to this time next year.

Shrubs, Trees & Climbers - Physocarpus, euyonumus, .

Perennials - Verbena bonariensis, rudbeckias, salvias, aster, chrysanthemums, dahlias.

Bulbs - Nerines

Annuals - Sunflowers, Scabious, cosmos, tithonia, zinnia & nicotiana

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