John’s October jobs for the garden…

Gardening embraces the seasons and has a variety of tasks that match and follow the time of the year. Winter may lie ahead, but with spring on the other side of it, we can spend some time now planning, planting spring bulbs and new plants (to get their roots down), and thinking about everything we can do to achieve a really positive, successful start to spring next year. Now is the time to focus on Autumn flowering perennials, evergreen shrubs, garden lighting, composting, and keeping on top of weeds whilst they’re also growing less.

Here’s what you can do this month…

• Plant bedding plants – Provide interest and colour.

• Plant Allium bulbs – plant throughout your beds for marvellous displays in May. 

• Forcing Hyacinths can begin – Potting them up and growing them inside for early colour and interest too.

• Start a compost heap – Fill it full of your cut back foliage, fallen leaves and food waste over the coming weeks.

• Pot up a bulb lasagne – Try Tulips at the base, Narcissus in the middle, and then on top, any early blooming dwarf varieties like Iris or Crocus.

• Make an Autumn wreath – you can use dried blooms along with evergreen, seasonal foliage.

• Get rock salt ready – for when the frosts fully arrive.

• Think about winter colour – plant up any new additions like evergreen, berry-producing shrubs – great for interest and also feeding the birds.

• Clear any vegetable plants - that are polished off by the frosts.