The ever-shortening days of October leave no doubt that autumn is here. However, warm days in the early part of the month can seem like a last bit of summer, while frosts at the end signal that winter is on the way. This is a month for enjoying the last of this year’s displays, while preparing for next year.

Flowers like Dahlias, Echinacea, Rudbeckia and Gaillardia will all keep flowering until the first frosts, so keep dead-heading.

A Cookham flower border in mid-October

Adding winter bedding will brighten up bare patches left by the removal of spent summer bedding or the dying back of herbaceous perennials as colder nights start to bite.

Roses may well still be flowering in October, but growth is likely to be getting weaker, so it is a good time to reduce the height of plants. Take them down by about a third so that they won’t rock in winter winds and disturb the roots. Clear away fallen leaves to prevent black spot spores overwintering under the plants.

As grass growth slows down, it’s a good time to apply an autumn treatment. Proprietary autumn mixes contain less nitrogen (so less leaf growth) and more phosphorus (for root growth) and potassium (for winter hardiness). Scarifying and aerating will also help to prepare the grass plants for winter by allowing both air and light to reach the base of the plants.

In the kitchen garden it is harvest time for hard-skinned squashes and pumpkins and the winter vegetables like parsnips, leeks and cabbages will all be good now.

Squashes Curing ready for storage

Y

Looking forward to next spring, you can plant broad beans, garlic and onions now and they will develop strong roots in the warm autumn soil and give you a racing start for next year.