October Gardening Tips 2023

So far September has treated our garden to a sizzling start and a rather damp middle. I think this has led our flowering plants to believe it is still high summer. I have never seen our Roses looking so good in September. The stars of the show are ‘Rural England’ and ‘Litchfield Angel’ either side of an arch, with ‘Avon’ in a supporting role. ‘Desdemona’ and ‘Natasha Richardson’ are flowering their socks off, along with a new favourite ‘Emily Bronte’. The hardy Fuchsias are also treating us to a magnificent display of their gentle blooms. The Gaura have come up trumps and our Asters are pretty amazing too.  Of course, the weather may have changed again by the time you read this and autumn truly set in with all its ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’.

I am always hugely excited by autumn and the freedom to plant. I mentioned bulbs last month but now is really the time to get going and plant all that loveliness for spring. Of course, bulbs can be planted directly into the border where they are always best planted in clumps. But, at this time of year, it isn’t always easy to see where you may have the gaps in the spring. Therefore, if you have some bulbs left over, or if you are super organised, plant some extra bulbs in pots so that when you find any gaps in the borders in the spring you can just pop in your tub of bulbs and hey presto.  

I have seen the most beautiful fresh stock of trees, shrubs and perennials arriving in the garden centres. I simply have to share with you this absolutely stunning Cercis canadensis I saw at Milford. Here’s looking forward to a really good planting season.

On a rather smaller planting scale, at the beginning of September we held a plantathon with our local ‘charities of the year’ at each centre. It was great to meet some of the wonderful people who work with or are supported by these amazing organisations and to enjoy planting seasonal containers with them. I was particularly taken with the combination of Heather ‘Garden Girls’ surrounded by dainty pansies.

Do take time to sweep fallen leaves and debris from the lawn and borders. Give the lawn a good rake and raise the height of your mower blades as we approach the final cuts of the season. Think about autumn lawn care to boost your lawn ready for winter. Autumn lawn care differs in formulation from spring products. In spring you want nitrogen to encourage green growth. In autumn it is the roots that need support to tackle the winter to come and you don’t want soft green growth. Miracle-Gro Autumn Lawn Care will fit the bill perfectly. The autumn is also a great time to lay turf, overseed worn patches or sow a new area of lawn. For more information see our article on autumn lawn care.