In The Flower Garden This October

🌷 1. Plant spring-flowering bulbs

October is ideal for planting bulbs that will give you colour from late winter into spring.

• 🌼 Daffodils – plant in borders, lawns and pots.

• 🌷 Tulips – plant in October or later in autumn for a colourful spring display.

• 💜 Crocuses – lovely under trees or naturalised in lawns.

• 🌸 Alliums – plant now for striking flowers in late spring and early summer.

Tip: Plant bulbs at roughly two to three times their own depth, in well-drained soil.

🍂 2. Tidy flower beds, but don’t overdo it

• Remove dead, diseased or mushy leaves and stems.

• Pull out weeds before they establish over winter.

• Leave ornamental grasses, seedheads and healthy perennial stems standing until spring.

• Leave some fallen leaves under shrubs and in quiet corners for wildlife.

Leaving seedheads on plants such as echinacea and rudbeckia adds winter interest and provides food and shelter for wildlife.

🌱 3. Plant new flowers and divide perennials

• Plant new hardy perennials such as astrantia, hardy geraniums and salvias.

• Divide overcrowded or poorly flowering perennials such as hostas and daylilies.

• Plant winter pansies, violas, wallflowers and primulas for colour through the colder months.

Water new plants well after planting, particularly if the weather is dry.

🌺 4. Protect dahlias and tender plants

• Wait until the first frost blackens dahlia foliage before lifting tubers.

• In colder parts lift dahlias and store them somewhere cool, dry and frost-free.

• Move cannas and other tender plants into a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory.

• In milder areas, dahlias may be left in the ground if the soil is well-drained and the tubers are protected with a thick mulch.

Keep an eye on the forecast, as a sudden frost can catch tender plants out.

🌼 5. Keep colour in pots and hanging baskets

• Replace finished summer bedding with winter pansies, violas, heathers and trailing ivy.

• Plant spring bulbs in pots for a second wave of colour.

• Deadhead remaining flowers and remove yellowing leaves.

• Raise pots onto pot feet or bricks to improve drainage and prevent waterlogging.

🐝 6. Make your garden wildlife-friendly

• Leave a small pile of leaves in a sheltered corner for insects and other wildlife.

• Plant late-flowering asters and other autumn flowers where possible.

• Leave some seedheads for birds.

• Avoid cutting everything back or making the garden too tidy.

A little untidiness now can make a big difference to wildlife over winter.