Aaron Bertelsen and Benjamin William Pope explain a few key jobs you can do in the garden right now. Illustration Alice Pattullo
Just because the weather is colder and the growing season is slowing, doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to do in the garden. Below grower and writer Aaron Bertelsen and head gardener Benjamin William Pope explain October gardening jobs you should make sure not to miss.
Don’t miss the best October flowers, what to plant in October and October gardens to visit.
October is a month of change, as summer departs to make way for autumn. Deciduous plants respond to cooler evening temperatures and shortening days by preparing for leaf fall, reducing the green pigment of chlorophyll in their leaves to reveal a blaze of yellow and orange carotenoids and red anthocyanins.
What looks good in the garden in October?
I love to see the changing colours both in the garden and wider landscape, and among the first to change for us are the acers. Acer japonicum ‘Aconitifolium’ and Acer griseum are my favourites, along with the vibrant Koelreuteria paniculata ‘Coral Sun’. Cercidiphyllum japonicum turns a golden buttery yellow with peachy tones, as does its darker-leaved cultivar ‘Rotfuchs’, both earning the common name candyfloss
tree, as the leaves fall with a sweet toffee-apple aroma following a frost.
Shrubs and herbaceous perennials also have something to offer, dark-leaved cotinus and physocarpus enliven with scarlet tints while dogwoods and witch hazels turn shades of honey. With the abundant array of warm colours, now is a time when blue and grey tones really stand out. Pairing Amsonia tabernaemontana with Ceratostigma willmottianum will give you canary-yellow foliage and blue flowers, add to this a winter-stemmed dogwood or Russian sage and you will be sure to continue the interest as the leaves fall.
Here’s great October flowers and plants
My other love at this time of year is ornamental grasses, which work well with late herbaceous perennials, such as Symphyotrichum lateriflorum ‘Prince’. I find molinias very useful as their basal foliage remains low and tidy while the flower stems reach out to create a transparent veil. That said, Panicum virgatum and some Miscanthus cultivars, such as ‘Ghana’ and ‘Ferner Osten’, turn brilliant shades of red and orange, though I couldn’t be without the gold tassels of Miscanthus nepalensis.
Along with flowers and colour, grasses add texture and movement, which help to elevate a border or container scheme, so are always worth considering. Looking around the garden there’s lots to distract the eye and mind, but thankfully maintenance tasks are less time critical now as winter approaches. Benjamin William Pope
Here’s how to keep your garden looking great through autumn
October gardening jobs
What to get done in the garden this month
Tidy up
While it’s still mild enough to enjoy being outside, take the opportunity to do a bit of tidying up. October gardening jobs should include removing yellowing or damaged leaves from brassicas, which will reduce the risk of fungal disease and deprive slugs and snails of a home. You should also take out and compost any crops that have gone over so the soil is ready for winter digging or mulching. Aaron Bertelsen
Here are a few things to help you with tidying.
Sow winter salad crops… quickly
If the weather is warm there is still time – just – to sow winter salad crops in pots in your October gardening jobs, provided you do it right at the start of the month and can offer a reasonably sheltered spot. Let the weeds be your guide – if they’re still growing, seeds should still germinate. Cover with fleece at night to help them along. AB
Pot up your chicory
If you are planning to force chicory (you’ll need a Witloof type for this), dig up plants and pot them up. Cut off the tops and pack the plants into a large pot with a light soil/sand mix. Cover, and put the pot somewhere dark, cool and dry. AB
Get mulching
Mulching around plants such as rhubarb (see our favourite rhubarb forcers) and soft fruit will help to feed them as well as providing winter protection. I add a 10cm layer of leaf mould, or compost from the heap. AB
Check your stakes
Check that stakes for fruit trees are still strong. Replace them if necessary and in any case replace the twine. This will ensure trees are well supported before winter winds hit. AB
Use your harvest
Autumn is a time full of harvest with top fruit falling from the trees. Ideally, store in a refrigerator, but somewhere cool, dry and free from rodents will help. With our glut of apples, I make curried chutney or juice them, but it’s worth experimenting a little; crab apple jelly, hawthorn ketchup and rosehip syrup all have subtle flavours and are packed with vitamin C. Benjamin William Pope
Ripen fruit and vegetables
As days shorten the final ripening of fruit and vegetables becomes important; stripping leaves from tomato plants and placing winter squashes and pumpkins in the open allows as much sun as possible to sweeten and cure the fruits. BP
Make an autumn wreath
In the cutting beds, dahlias and zinnias still amaze, I love pairing the giant Dahlia ‘Otto’s Thrill’ with the demure Dahlia ‘Paradise City’, using Symphyotrichum cordifolium ‘Elegans’ as a pale-blue filler. Autumn is also a great time to make a wreath. Woven sticks with bracken and autumn foliage make a great base, while rosehips, horse chestnut casings and dried flowers (harvested earlier in summer) make good details. BP