October Maintenance Guide
GARDENING WITH CONFIDENCE™
THIS MONTH IN THE GARDEN
Mid-Atlantic Region
INTRO
Fall is one of the most beautiful times in the garden and yet, most gardeners garden for spring, maybe summer, reluctantly in fall, and virtually not at all in the winter.
Being the year ’round gardener that I am, I not satisfied with a season or two of beauty, color, form and texture. I choose to have four full seasons. I may not convince everyone to garden in the winter yet, but I fully intend to preach the benefits of gardening in the fall. As summer wanes into fall, the humidity lifts, the days grow shorter, giving a feeling of preparedness. But also look around, and smell too, there is a lot going on. Flowers, color, fragrance. Osmanthus (tea olives) , sasanqua camellias, asters, roses, ornamental grasses, and some azaleas are blooming. The leaves are changing colors, trees and shrubs have berries and pods, salvias and sages are alive with blooms. The birds seem a bit busier than before. All in all, October is my favorite time in the garden.
Thought you might enjoy Fine Gardening October inspiration.
It’s also a great time to prepare beds for next year. Mark new beds, or beds you want to extend, with marking paint or a hose. Cut an edge, turn into the new bed, cover with newspaper, then finally cover with chopped leaves or mulch. Let nature take her course. Your bed will be ready for planting in the spring.
BULBS
‘Tis the season for planting spring flowering bulbs. Most require an extended period of cold to bloom. Daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips (Dutch and species), as well as, crocus, cyclamen, Dutch iris, and Galanthus (snowdrops) can be planted now.
If you have a vole infestation or limited space, growing bulbs in a container is just the ticket. Container grown bulbs gives you color in the spring just when and where you need it most – you decide! Containers should be at least 10″ deep and have a drainage hole on the bottom. Cover the hole with wire mesh (landscape cloth) or gravel. This will keep the dirt in and the critters out.
We are lucky, Cannas are hardy in our area so it is ok to leave in the ground for the winter. Be sure to cut back the foliage to the ground after the freeze to rid the area of any harboring leaf rollers. In the spring, you can add Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) as a natural way to rid this pest.
ANNUALS
Kale, cabbages, mustards. Pansies, snapdragons, violas. They are colorful, plentiful, long lasting, and cheap. I have often wondered why they are so underused. For Pansies and Violas, I like to plant now. I tend to buy them earlier and nurse them in my holding area. I do this while the selection is good, but the ground is not quite ready for them. A good rule of thumb, the bigger the flower, the less flowering will go on. Violas, though small, tend to have abundant blooms.
Sowing seeds of California, Iceland, and Shirley poppies, sweet alyssum, and larkspur this fall for a spring showing. Best sown in lean soil. They don’t re-seed well in Helen’s Haven since we are heavy mulchers. As such, I sow seeds in the spring.
Collect seed of Cleome, cosmos, sunflower, and zinnias for planting next year. Store in an envelope or brown paper lunch bag during the winter months.
PERENNIALS
This is your best time for planting perennials. The fall is a good time to divide perennials such as Hostas, daylilies, and ferns. If you have a gracious plenty to share with friends, ask some over to help with the work. Make it a fun day of potting up to share. Friends make the job easier and help the chore go by quicker.
Sometimes, I find it hard to get in the garden in the fall after a full and rich spring and summer. But then I realize the rewards of good fall preparation, division, and planting, makes for a much happier spring and summer. Take advantage of some of these good warm sunny days. It is also easier to work in the soil when it is cool and wet.
Now is a good time to move aquatic plants deeper into the water garden.
Fall is the best time to plant peonies. Some say it’s tough to grow peonies in the south; there is a secret to dispel this myth. The secret to growing peonies successfully, is to keep the ‘eyes’ exposed.
Set out peony root divisions now. Select those with 3 – 5 buds and 3 good roots. These long living plants don’t like to be moved, so be sure you like where they are going. Plant in a well-drained location that receives at least 6 – 8 hours of sun each day. The hole should be 2 – 3 feet deep and wide for each division.
Mix in organic matter such as compost or composed leaf mulch. Fertilize with a pound of bone meal or super-phosphate. The ‘eyes\9should be 1 inch above below the soil/mulch surface, water in well. Be patient. Peonies may not bloom the first year. But patients pay off since peonies can last 50 years or more.
If you are trying to establish a moss lawn, now is a good time to do so. Moss prefers moist, acidic, lean soil.
TREES AND SHRUBS
Any woody shrubs or small trees that you want to relocate later in the winter or early spring can be ‘root pruned’ now. This is easy to do. Around the dripline of the plant, sink a shovel into the ground as far as it will go. Circle the entire plant. In the meantime, the plant will begin to “repair” the fresh cut by sending out more roots at the cut ends. This will give the plant a better chance of transplanting.
Interiors of yews, Pines, arborvitae, and junipers may shed. This is natural for this time of year.
There is always room for conifers. They make a great addition in the mixed border, hedgerows, and specimen plants. Evergreens will drop needles this time of year. This is normal. You may find the arborvitae yellowing up in spots, then turning brown. It can be trimmed back or wait until it dies back and then pinch off.
White Sasanquas is blooming now. The fall is a good time to feed your camellias with cottonseed meal. Apply under the drip line of the plant.
If you are looking for a nice fall interest shrub, consider the Beautyberry (Callicarpa Americana). The magenta fruit is so beautiful in the fall and the birds love it. The white variety (Callicarpa dichotoma ‘Alba’) is also fantastic.
ROSES
To help prevent diseases of your roses, rake up the any leaves from the beds. Removing some of the mulch exposed to the leaves is good idea as well. These leaves and exposed mulch can harbor blackspot spores that can over-winter in the leaves. Top-dress the garden with fresh mini-chip mulch.
It is not the time to plant bare-root roses or container roses, but it is a good time to transplant them. If you have a rose that has outgrown its spot, needs better light, or want it in an area you can more readily see to enjoy, October is a good month to move roses.
HERBS
Harvest fresh basil to make pesto to extend summer through winter. Thought you might enjoy
VEGETABLES
Recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes
SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES
Compost - Use the mower to chop up fallen leaves. Add to the garden bed or compost pile. Grass clippings welcomed too.
If we lack sufficient October rain, plan to water any new plantings, including bulbs.
Water everything if nature hasn’t done it for you before the ground freezes. Evergreens in particular continue to lose water by transpiring during the winter. Also winds can desiccate.
Don’t forget to water newly planted plants; slowly reducing the amount of watering until watering is only on an as-needed basis.
GARDEN PESTS
WILDLIFE
Don’t be so quick to tidy up. The remains of the summer and fall garden give shelter, food and cover for the wildlife while also adding winter interest to the garden beds.
CONTAINER GARDENING
- is a garden writer, speaker and garden coach through her business Gardening with Confidence™.
Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook Friend’s page, Helen Yoest; or facebook Like page, Gardening With Confidence™
Helen is a field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and Country Gardens magazine and she also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum.
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