October – Monthly Plant Information

September 15, 2015 by Cherry Lane

General Jobs

Line greenhouses with bubble wrap to protect delicate plants over winter.
Continue to plant spare pots, containers, beds and borders with bulbs and winter bedding for colour in the spring.
Rake up fallen leaves and add them to the compost heap or collect them in bin bags for a rich leaf mould to add to the garden next year.

Trees and Shrubs

Continue to plant trees and shrubs while the soil is still warm.

Bulbs and Perennials

Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs in beds, borders, pots and containers.
Cut back perennials that have finished flowering.
Divide and replant overcrowded herbaceous plants

Vegetable Garden

Cut back the fruited canes of summer fruiting raspberries and tie in the new canes that will fruit next year.
A good month to plant bare root or pot grown fruit trees and bushes while the sol is warm and the weather is more unsettled.

Lawns

Lawns can still be cut when the weather is favorable but try and keep off the lawn when it is wet or frozen as you can compact the soil and damage the grass.

Quick Tips

  • Check soil PH with a simple test kit

  • Prune rambling roses

  • Apply grease bands to trees for climbing winter moth

  • Treat wooden furniture with teak oil before storage

  • Spray peaches with traditional copper fungicide at leaf fall for peach leaf curl and again in the spring at bud burst