Mzz B’s October Garden

Annual Cosmos3 sorts of asters, plus sedumTithonia- Mexican sunflower, Tagetes Cinnabar,mauve stems and asters

It’s interesting to see what has survived the hot  dry summer.After a little bit of rain and still warm days the garden is looking quite colourful. Some annuals have sprung back into action when they looked to be struggling and the late flowering plants like asters are filling the border with their lovely colours. Asters spend most of the summer just being a background of green for other plants then make a huge difference to the garden now. There are lots of different colours now other than the pale mauve of the original asters.

Jobs for October

• Time to divide  herbaceous perennials that have made too large clumps- split with two forks, a spade or knife. However those plants that have a tap root that goes straight down into the soil cannot be split of divided- they are best propagated by seed or cuttings.
• This is also the time to move evergreeen treas or shrubs- lifting as big a root as you can and digging as large a hole big enough for the root ball. 
• Plan for spring by filing pots and borders with daffodils, alliums and crocuses.
• Sow hardy annuals like cornflowers,love in the mist and marigolds
• Overwinter pelargoniums – tender geraniums in a onservatory or other frost free place, cut back stems to 10cm and water sparingly over the winter
• Use woody plant prunings, make a teepee – stuff with .herbaceous   and twiggy stems for overwintering insects.

• If you don't have one get a water butt to capture rainwater.
• Lift tender species – some salvias, succulents, etc, before the first frosts threaten. Dahlias and cannas can be left until the frost has blackened their stems. You could also try leaving dahlias in if you have well drained soil and can mulch to protect the tubers. Otherwise cut back the stems and gently lift the tubers/rhizomes from the ground. Clean the soil from them and store in trays of dry compost or sand, with just the top of crown visible.
• Prune climbing roses. Climbing roses flower on shoots grown the same spring so they can be pruned hard now. (Rambling roses on the other hand produce their flowers on shoots grown the previous summer so should only be pruned immediately after flowering.)

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