Rosebie Morton’s October Gardening Guide

October is the perfect month to appreciate the autumn tints on trees and shrubs, says Rosebie Morton, founder of The Real Flower Company. Here’s your October gardening guide.

Gardening In October: Jobs To Do This Month

A plant that really comes into its own in October is Euonymus alatus, with its stunning purple red foliage and eye-catching orange seeds which burst from pink capsules. It’s great choice for any sized garden.

October is also an ideal time to be planting containers ready for spring. You can grow bulbs in any sized container, but good drainage is key. Choose a pot which has holes drilled in the bottom, line it with some crock (broken pots or crockery in small pieces) and then fill it with a few centimetres of peat free compost.

The size of the bulb dictates how deep to plant; the bulb needs to be planted at a depth of three times its height. By mixing bulbs within a pot, you can have continuous flowering from about February until May, so be adventurous and go for a bulbs like narcissi, tulips, hyacinth, iris reticulata, crocus and muscari (grape hyacinths). I would recommend using the Lasagne bulb method: plant the largest first and then layer the smaller bulbs with a few centimetres of compost separating each layer.  Tulips like to be planted deeper, so if you’re planting tulips and hyacinths, put the tulips (even though they are smaller) below the hyacinths, and finish with the smallest bulbs, like crocus or iris.

You can mix different types of the same flower together (using a mix of early and later flowering tulips, for example). Place the later flowering ones lower down for a succession of flowers. If you only have small containers, then a handful of crocuses planted close together in a shallow pot can give a wonderful splash of colour in early spring – try crocus tommasianus in Barr’s purple. Iris reticulata are also beautiful planted enmasse; Iris Harmony or Mystic Beauty are great varieties. 

You can also bring colour into your house by planting indoor containers with bulbs: buy prepared hyacinths, which will be flowering in about ten weeks, and pant them in compost with their pointed tips a few centimetres above the compost, quite close together. (Roughly 5 centimetres apart) Remember to moisten the compost and place the container somewhere dark and cool for 6-10 weeks, checking occasionally. When shoots emerge, bring the container into your kitchen or living room to flower. Narcissi such as Paperwhites, Avalanche or Cragford provide stunning flowers in a matter of a few weeks, and should be planted in compost or even gravel to hold them in place. Give them good light and support with some twigs as they grow. (Narcissi can look very effective planted in compost in a glass vase, while Amarylis – tall and dramatic – make fantastic indoor plants.)

Other October jobs include cutting back perennials, leaving seed heads and ornamental grasses for winter interest. Rembember to tender plants such as Penstemons and Salvias, which need frost protection, and divide perennials to invigorate and multiply them. October is also a brilliant time to plant onions, garlic and bare-rooted fruit trees, as well as sowing broad beans and peas.