October is one of the most colourful times of the year.
Flowers such as sedums and rudbekias are still blooming and the leaves on trees and shrubs are beginning to change to fiery colours like red, yellow and orange.
For many wildlife about to go into hibernation – bumblebees, butterflies and hoverflies – late flowering perennials are a lifeline.
As you prepare your garden for winter keep in mind that wildlife is vulnerable in autumn – so clean and refill bird feeders, leave out water and plant berry-bearing shrubs for next autumn.
Many species including ladybirds and other insects, hibernate in old seed heads and plant stems. Birds eat seeds and rosehips in the winter and larger creatures, such as hedgehogs, hibernate in piles of twigs and leaves.
So, try to resist tidying up your outside space too much.
A few autumn jobs can make your garden more wildlife friendly and help provide food and shelter in the spring…
Plant bulbs – to flower in the spring so they can provide food for bees coming out of hibernation
Leave your borders – instead of tidying and cutting back leave your borders to rot down naturally, it’s great for wildlife
Create a pond – one of the best habitats for wildlife but make sure there are plenty of shallow areas for wildlife to climb in and out. If you have limited space, then a container pond is a good alternative.
If you are growing your own fruit and veg then now is the time pick your pumpkins and squashes.
Test to see if your pumpkins and winter squashes are ripe by pressing the skin with your fingernail … it shouldn’t feel like it will pierce.
Harvest them with as long a stalk as possible and store somewhere cool and dry. Apart from being fantastic food, pumpkins and squashes are visually stunning. They are wonderful for creating beautiful autumnal displays for windowsills, front steps and window boxes.
A couple of stand-out varieties are … Crown Prince, a blue-grey variety of pumpkin that has orange flesh inside – delicious when roasted and used in soups; and Celebration, a lovely orange-yellow variety of winter squash that is acorn shaped and works well in soups, stews and Sunday roasts.
Now is also a good time to think about your soil.
If it’s heavy clay you can dig it over so the winter frosts can break the clods down. Or sow green manures on unused areas to protect the soil over winter.
October is often a time spent clearing up after the Summer and preparing for the Winter and Spring ahead and as the RHS says … Although we had some warmer days over September, the autumn is now definitely here for real, and it feels colder. It’s a beautiful time of year, with the trees changing colour. Sometimes it may seem pointless raking, when the wind blows even more leaves onto the ground, but just think of all the lovely leafmould you can make! It’s also time to start preparing for early frosts.
Top three jobs this month – move tender plants, including aquatic ones, into a greenhouse or conservatory; cut back perennials that have died down; and divide herbaceous perennials.
