When there is torrential autumn rain there is only so much you can do, but there are a few basics that will help avoid waterlogging. Raspberry canes should be cut to the ground, while for the others you should aim to thin the shoots to remove old ones, allowing plenty of light into the plant and retaining a good ‘goblet-like’ shape. This is the time of year to prune the bushes of gooseberries, currants and raspberries, once all the leaves are off. Ideally you can put it round the small tree so that it does not touch the leaves. Young evergreens can be vulnerable to both sharp frost and winter winds because their new growth has not had time to harden off properly, so it is worth protecting them with some netting. You can complete the job by hanging the cut stems up to dry, and then rubbing out the dead flowerheads to produce scented lavender bags. Don’t cut any more of the stems with leaves, as they will be susceptible to frost – leave this to the spring instead. Cut off just the dead flowering stems – either with secateurs or, for a quicker job, with hand shears. ![]() This is the ideal time to tidy up lavender hedges and bushes with a trim. It’s ideal for tubs, containers and window boxes, and a variety of plants, from pansies to heathers and small bulbs, will keep you going right through to next spring. Is your garden beginning to look a bit sad? Then brighten it up with some winter bedding. For instance, that branch that needs trimming off a tree, another piece of timber that needs sawing up into logs…and it’s only a few weeks to Guy Fawkes Night. ![]() This is the time of year when a small amount of work with the right tools can bring you spectacular and satisfying results in the garden. If you have cut perennials down it is worth marking them with a peg or label in the ground, so that you don’t disturb or damage them when you’re digging the soil around them or forking in a winter mulch. The simplest way is to cover the pond with mesh or netting. If you have a pond, you won’t want loads of them decomposing in the water, especially if you have fish, so try and keep it clean. If you have cut down herbaceous perennials in your borders to make your garden neat and tidy for the winter, you need to make sure you keep fallen leaves from lying on the exposed crowns of plants, because this will cause them to rot, especially in a damp autumn.Īutumn weather has started, and soon the leaves will be falling fast. They are ideally stored in a cool dark shed in a box of dry potting compost. However, they can be ruined by being left in wet ground, so they need to be dug up or lifted, and stored. This is the time that those vegetables that you have been growing all summer, beetroot and carrots for instance, are about to reward you. If you buy bare-rooted trees, then they should be planted while they are dormant – between now and March. However, there is no doubt that now, the autumn, is the best time to plant them, as they can get their roots settled and established through the winter. Young trees sold in container pots can, in theory, be planted throughout the year. ![]() It is very easy to make your own, to cover either part of a bed or border, or even a container. Do not encourage them to grow by potting them on – leave this till next spring.Ĭloches are especially useful at this time of the year, (and again in the spring) because by keeping the soil warm and providing protection, they extend your growing season by many weeks. Remember that many cuttings that you have in the greenhouse that have now rooted, especially evergreen shrubs, should be left dormant during the winter. Of course, this is also a good time of year to plant new climbing roses – the single yellow-flowered ‘Mermaid’ is one of my favourites. If you are doing anything that needs mortar, make sure it is completed before the frosty weather appears, as frost will damage the mortar if it isn’t fully set.Ĭlimbing roses don’t need regular annual pruning like shrub roses, but this is a good time of year to combine checking that their ties are firm for the winter, (but not too tight as the branches will have expanded) and cutting out any dead wood or trimming off stems to maintain your plant’s shape. Here are some tips for October in the garden.Īutumn is a good time to carry out repairs to paths, or to lay new ones. The colder weather is rolling in and it’s time to prepare for winter. October in the garden: Lift vegetables, repair and get tidying
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