“October’s the month when the smallest breeze gives us a shower of Autumn leaves. Bonfires and pumpkins, leaves sailing down – October is red and golden and brown.” Gardening in October is usually one of the most colourful months of the gardening calendar. Not only the reds, golds, and greens of the leaves, but all the flowers seem to glow in the Autumn sunshine too. However, this year our October garden isn’t looking its vibrant best, it has to be said. Due in part to the lack of warm sunshine over the Summer, which has meant everything is flowering later than usual. Although my October gardening to do list is still as long as it ever was…
What to do in the garden in October
Gardening in October is a surprisingly busy time, even though our flower, fruit and vegetable production has slowed right down. But there’s still plenty of tidying up to do, and also planning ahead for next year. I have a few gaps to fill as well, so I’ll be buying some new plants to shoehorn into those. And of course I have my usual October gardening tips to share with you. In the meantime, as last month’s photo of Ginger went down so well, here’s a snap of all three of our cats (Loki, Ginger, Spooky) enjoying some recent sunshine.
October flowering plants
This month’s cover star is my beloved grown-from-tuber dahlia, Penhill Watermelon, with her dinner plate sized blooms. Just one stem in a tall vase looks stunning and I’ve been cutting plenty of those recently as she’s flowered much later this year. And my other single stemmed favourite that’s still giving me joy is the lovely perennial Hydrangea by our front door. Two very different plants but both such good value for money.
Speaking of value for money, you can’t go wrong with edible flowers like our self-seeded blue Borage, which you only ever need to sow once, it’s impossible to get rid of! And the pink Nasturtiums* I grew from seed earlier this year are flowering again too. Both are very pretty in the garden, good for pollinators, and perfect for salads, cake decorations, and cocktails 🙂
Other October flowers that are still giving our garden some much needed colour are my reliable Geranium Rozanne in various spots, the little purple Asters by our small ponds, and my favourite little purple Geranium Nodosum tucked away in the dry shade of our conifer hedge.
If you’re looking for flowering perennial plants for early Autumn displays, you won’t go far wrong with a selection of salvias. They’re supposedly tender perennials and don’t do well with frosts, but ours have been going for several years now, so I guess they’re hardier than they’re cracked up to be. And their vibrant, jewel-like colours really light up our garden.
Remember those pruned lavender cuttings I potted up last month? They’re beginning to grow away, so I’m going to do the same with my salvias shortly. Gardening in October is all about harvesting seeds and cuttings for new plants. You want to take some cuttings with good green growth and healthy stalks and pop them into a pot of mixed compost and grit (for drainage). Then it’s just a case of keeping them warm and moist until they start growing. Plants for free, and they’ll look exactly the same as their parents, so you know what you’re getting. Tip: you can do this successfully with pelargoniums and fuchsias too.
On the subject of harvesting seeds, now is the time to capture them from poppies*, nigella*, sunflowers*, sweet peas*, and lunaria* (at least in our garden) for more free plants next year. Tip: choose a sunny day when they’re likely to be dry, cut or shake them carefully into paper envelopes (never plastic), label each envelope, and then store until you’re ready to sow them.
Not ready to set seed yet is Cosmos Dazzler* in a sunny spot by our wildlife pond – as fast as I deadhead, new blooms appear. And I’m thrilled to see some tiny self-seeded yellow snapdragons by the pond as well. I didn’t plant them so I have no idea where they’ve come from, but aren’t they gorgeous?
Last but not least, here’s a shot of our beautiful hot pink shrub rose, who stands out so well against the green of the conifer behind her.
Vegetable gardening in October
To be honest vegetable gardening in October doesn’t yield us much of a harvest. And it’s really too late to think about October vegetable planting for picking later this year now, with the exception of some fast growing salad leaf crops*. But the soil is still warm at this time of year so good seeds to plant in October are broad beans*, cauliflower* and early maincrop peas* for harvesting the following year. They can get a head start this month, but just be prepared to cover your new tender plants over with cloches* polytunnels*, or horticultural fleece* to protect them from frosts over Winter.
My Romanesco* cauliflowers sown from seed this year are storming away, thanks to my investment in a zip up netted cage* to shield them from pigeons and egg-laying butterflies. I’m not entirely sure when they’ll be ready to harvest but all good things… And much to my surprise, we’ve managed to enjoy a few more outdoor cucumbers* too – although I think this really is the last one this year, sadly.
It will soon be time to clear out the greenhouse, ready for overwintering any new plants. That means cutting down the unripened tomatoes* but fingers crossed I might have enough for a couple of jars of green tomato chutney now <grin>. And into the chutney will go these two whopping chillies, which is all we’ve managed to grow this year – my vegetable gardening has very much not gone to plan in 2021!
Gardening in October this year will be a forever golden memory where fruit is concerned though. After nearly eight years, our fig tree has yielded the perfect, ripe fig, which Alan and I ceremoniously shared. I think it will be a while before I forget that taste: fresh, meltingly sweet, and warm from the sun. What a thing of beauty.
I managed to collect all the ripe Victoria plums before the recent storms and now have 3kg of plum jam in the cupboard. While we’re waiting for the apples to ripen on our second apple tree, I’ve been looking up how to make kiwi jam and/or chutney. Our fuzzy little kiwis don’t seem to be ripening this year, so do please let me know if you’ve come across any good recipes?
October gardening to do list
One job I must remember to do is replace the grease bands* on our plum tree. It’s the best pest control to reduce the number of Winter moth caterpillars in Spring as the sticky bands stop the wingless females from climbing up tree trunks and laying eggs. Nothing worse than biting into a juicy plum and finding a little wriggling guest 🙁
As you can see, the grass in the orchard is looking decidedly shaggy, partly because our lawn mower broke and Alan hasn’t got around to replacing it yet… But when he does, I don’t imagine he’ll need to mow our lawn and orchard more than once a fortnight on a high blade setting as the grass growth is slowing down now. Before he cuts the grass though, he’ll rake up all the fallen leaves from our deciduous trees and shovel them into large jute sacks* to biodegrade down into organic matter. Leaf mulch is not only a brilliant soil conditioner, it’s a great insulator for your garden beds. Plus it’s free too.
While I’m waiting for my order of Spring bulbs to arrive, I might take a leaf out of Ginger’s book – bless him, the old hobo =/\_/\= This year I’ve ordered flowering bulbs such as tulips, alliums and a few more daffodils to fill in some gaps in our orchard. And last but not least, fruits for the birds. The blackbirds have gobbled nearly all the red rowan berries, and I’m holding off pruning our roses for a while as the hips will provide food for other garden birds, along with our grapevine’s prolific annual crop.
Wildlife gardening jobs to do in October
I can’t believe our wildlife pond is only a year old, it feels as if it’s been there forever. Do you remember this time last year, when Alan had just finished digging it out? Look at it now!
I’m absolutely thrilled that so many creatures have made it their home, like all these different coloured baby goldfish.
And a real treat, a damselfly nymph larva, one of many that Flora caught while some pond dipping a few days ago.
Now that the weather is getting colder, Alan is scaling back on feeding the fish, who will stay at the bottom once the ice forms, and scaling up on filling up the bird feeders with nuts and fat balls to boost the birds’ reserves ahead of Winter.
Gardening in October – a summary
And that’s the end of my October gardening update. We’re well and truly into Autumn now, and I’m sure that my fellow gardeners around the world and in different hemispheres will have their own flora, produce and jobs to deal with. As always, I’m only sharing what we’ve been doing here in the South West of England. And I’ve tried to answer questions, such as:
- What to plant in October
- What to do with your garden at the end of the season
- What are the best gardening things to do in October
Have you enjoyed your regular virtual visit to our garden and orchard this month? As you may recall last month, I mentioned I was waiting for our neighbour’s damson harvest to be ready. And I’m happy to confirm that four litres of damson vodka are now on the go, ready for Christmas drinks and presents 🙂 The hardest part is having to wait until early December to bottle it up (with several taste checks too, of course). But in the meantime, I hope you’ll join me again in November, when we’ll be starting to prepare our garden and orchard for their Winter sleep.
Did you find any of my October gardening tips helpful? What have you been doing in your outside spaces this month? What’s your favourite thing about October in the garden?
* This post features affiliate links but all opinions are my own (see my Disclaimer).
I always enjoy my monthly visits to your garden Lisa! That dahlia is stunning and I can’t believe how beautiful your pond is. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Jodie, that’s very kind – and yes, the dahlia is pretty spectacular!
Oh my gosh the hydrangea is SO pretty! I’d love a ton of those lining my front garden (if I had one!) I didn’t realise october could still be such a vibrant and colourful month, gardening wise. I’d have thought everything would be calming down for the winter. The purples are lovely. I also tried a cucumber from my friend who has started growing them in his garden recently – was great!
Isn’t she just? Such a fab plant to have by a front door, really spectacular. And yes, October is surprisingly colourful, luckily, although not as much as in previous years 🙂 x
I love seeing your garden throughout the different seasons and months. Your pond looks so nice!
Antonia || Sweet Passions
Thank you, Antonia, that’s very kind.
Wow your garden gets better and better every month. I feel like mine has gone into full hybernation mode!
Rosie
Thank you, Rosie, it’s quite surprising to me too!
Oh this is such a great read to start the day Lisa! Your garden is always goal and always enjoy seeing your cats sunbathing in the garden. The sound of that victoria plum jam sounds great and really crave some now! Can’t wait to have more space and plant my own garden x
Thank you, Cristina, that’s very kind – and yes, I thought you might like the sound of the plum jam, haha x
Wow, your blog post took me to the wonders of the garden in autumn. My favorite is the little purple Geranium Nodosum. <3 I live in a tropical country so we rarely have flowers like this because the weather is usually warm at all times. I hope I can live in a country one day that has four seasons. <3
Thanks for sharing!
You always want what you can’t have, don’t you? I would trade all my flowers to live in a tropical country where it’s always warm, I hate our colder seasons! But thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
The Hot Pink Shrub Rose is such a beautiful shade of pink! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? x
Oh, it slow down in October and I guess for the cold weather and leaf falling. You have an amazing garden as well.
Thank you, that’s very kind, and yes, the cold weather does help.
Yay!!!!!! Lisa’s garden tour is back with beautiful flowers and veggies. I always enjoy your garden tour. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Fadima, you’re always so kind 🙂
Great post! I love your gardening updates and I’m in awe at your amazing garden, it must be such a lovely place for kids to explore and play (when it’s warm enough!). I look forward to seeing if you decorate for October or Bonfire Night x
Thank you, Eleanor, that’s so kind of you – yes, Flora and her pals have enjoyed running wild over the years! I’m not sure we’ll be decorating for Hallowe’en or Bonfire Night though, but never say never 🙂 x
A gardening post yet again! I love these monthly virtual tours to your garden Lisa. I know I have probably said this before but your garden makes me want to start my own garden lol. I never knew you had a pond until now and boy do those fishes look cute?! Your garden is so beautiful and yea… That damselfly nymph larva. What is it?
Oh wow, that makes me so happy, Ruth, what an amazing compliment! And yes, we’re very proud of our pond and all the inhabitants, including the damselfly larva, which is the wingless young of a damselfly, which is related to a dragonfly 🙂
My grandmother and I recently spent time in her garden and she took much pride in pointing out all her autumn flowers. She’s also started to prep her garden for the upcoming winter and Spring. She has a polytunnel so grows what she can in there during the darker months.
I don’t have much of a green thumb but I do enjoy learning all about the garden. Maybe when my gardens actually fit for humans to walk into, then I’ll actually enjoy it.
That’s a lovely illustration of how gardening can bring people together, Nyxie, I think it’s wonderful that your grandmother takes such pride in her garden and that you enjoy spending time in there with her. And yes, I’m sure you’ll fall in love with your green space at some point soon!
Thank you for sharing! It’s going to likely freeze tonight so I ended up cutting some flowers and did some last-minute fall work. I’m sad to say goodbye to gardening this year, but I’m excited about next year’s season. I’m already making plans!
We have wind and rain here now, so I’m glad I cut some flowers at the weekend too! Exciting times ahead then, I love planning for next year 🙂
I always love your gardening posts; you have so much variety and it’s so colourful! Kiwi jam sounds like so much fun, good luck making it. Thanks for sharing x
Ah, thank you, that’s very kind – and yes, I have a few kiwi jam recipes bookmarked already! x
This has just reminded me that I’ve still got some daffodil bulbs to plant up, and a hydrangea to cut back… And typically now I’ve remembered, we’re scheduled for rain for the rest of the week! Hopefully the weekend will dry up. Great post as always, I love reading these, and your flowers always look so beautiful!
Actually, rain will make planting the bulbs easier, the ground will be nice and soft! Thank you, Lindsey, that’s very kind 🙂
My goodness, your garden is honestly my dream! So great that your fig tree has fruited – it’s honestly one of the most satisfying feelings when a well-loved tree starts fruiting 😀
mia // https://beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com/
Oh wow, thank you, Mia! And yes, I agree, we’ve been waiting a loooooooooong time for that fig 🙂
Our garden is about done now, but it is lovely to see yours is still holding strong with some fruits and vegetables! Your fall flowers lend an extra splash of color to the coming fall foliage, and I love seeing how full and well your pond is looking.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
To be honest, I’ve been quite surprised by what we’re still able to harvest, but I do think it’s almost over now! Thank you, Jaya, we’re so happy with our pond too.
Your dahlia is absolutely breathtaking… what an extravagant flower! I am so excited that you are able to have some cucumbers to harvest, these are always such a treat!
Thank you, Heidi, she is a real stunner 🙂 And yes, homegrown cucumbers can’t be beaten, they are so crunchy and flavoursome!
great post! This is a great guide to what to plant now!
Thank you, glad it was helpful.
wow! I didn’t know there were things you could still do in the fall in the garden — yourr post gives motivation especially to those of us without a green thumb
Fall or Autumn is one of the busiest times in the gardening calendar, there’s so much do to for the year ahead! Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
You have such a beautiful garden with so many flowers! When the supermarkets give away free seeds here we try to grow a little veggie patch and a flower patch but we never seem to have much luck! I’m not very good with plants, haha!
Hope you are having a great week 🙂
Ah, thank you, that’s very kind – but I’m sure you have greener fingers than you think, perhaps your supermarkets only give away very old seeds? 🙂
Such a beautiful garden. You have reminded me to plant some lavender. When I tried to buy it in August the local garden centres had all ran out.
Oh that’s odd – but yes, now is a good time, they can get their roots established while the soil’s still warm – good luck!
I’m coming over to steal some of your jam supply. It sounds like there are going to be some amazing things coming out of your kitchen soon with all of the preserve making happening. Your Hydrangea looks absolutely stunning! I love how much colour you still have in there.
Funny you should say that, I made 1kg of green tomato chutney last night! Kiwi jam is my next challenge for sure, that should be fun 🙂 And thank you, you can’t go wrong with a happy hydrangea x
Garden full of life! What a beauty. And thank you for the guide. My garden usually fell asleep at the end of August but thanks to your advice I keep the colors and brightness up till winter time! Wonderful!
I’m so pleased this was helpful, thank you for your kind comment!
Your Penhill Watermelon dahlia, what a stunner! And that fig, hun, congrats!
Thank you so much, Beverley, so kind!
wow, lisa! you have such a beautiful garden. i’m surprised your flowers stay this alive in october. but i guess it’s the climate. these photos you included are so wonderful. thank you for sharing.
Ah, thank you, that’s very kind – although October has been very mild so far, so I think we’ve been lucky!
Your garden has really inspired me to redo my garden. I absolutely love your garden and you give me so much motivation!
Thank you, Amie, that’s wonderful to hear!
Hi Lisa, another inspiring gardening post. I have my garden on my to-do list which I started last weekend. But I wish I had planned ahead of time. My crops are not yielding so much these days, so I’m diverting my attention to flowers that will last till winter. I have tulip bulbs to be planted by November. Happy gardening! 😉
Thank you, Vinn, and yes, there are always things on the gardening to do list 🙂 TBH I’ve only started growing more veg this year, previously I was all about the flowers as they’re not as much work!
I love seeing how your garden transforms throughout the different seasons. The little purple Asters are so cute and very pretty.
Thank you, Riyah, they’re some of my favourites too, they’re so reliable!
Your garden is still full of amazing flowers and your cat living best life. These photos are so beautiful and I can saw how much she enjoy in sun.
Thank you, and yes, they really are, oh to be a cat!
Lovely photos, Lisa – your garden looks beautiful and full of life! It must be lovely to see the space transform as the seasons change, and (as someone who has a balcony, not a garden!) it’s really interesting to read about how you’re taking care of every little detail. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Matt – and I can empathise, I lived in a first floor flat for 15 years and had to make do with a tiny window box garden. So having a large garden and orchard has been just wonderful, albeit a steep learning curve!
Love seeing your garden! Your hydrangeas are gorgeous!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
Thank you, yes, every garden needs a hydrangea 🙂
That pink dahlia is stunning! I am also eyeing your harvest. Looks all delicious xx
She’s a beauty for sure, my favourite (and only surviving) dahlia! xx
Gorgeous as always. You have lots of flowers still in bloom. I love the ripe fig. I am yet to harvest and ripe at home, as things happened and I forgot to do it. Maybe I will do it next month, when I’m back home. I love the kiwis too, how cool to grow kiwis.
Thank you, Anca, we’re very lucky this year, although it’s down to the mild weather, I’m sure! Fingers crossed I can do something with the kiwis too 🙂
Love your garden and the variety of flowers and fruit is amazing, I love gardening too it is always a treat to drop by your site to read about different kinds of plants 🙂
Thank you so much, that’s so kind of you to say so – always happy to hear from a fellow gardener 🙂
Oh, I do like to see your garden updates. Hasn’t October been mild? We still have Geraniums and Begonias flowering! We’ve also been able to successfully grow and harvest corn this year too! Thank you for sharing your beautiful garden once again!
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Thank you, Aimsy – and yes, October has been incredibly mild, we’ve been very lucky so far. Hope it doesn’t betoken a hard winter though… Congrats on harvesting your own sweetcorn – you can’t beat the taste, can you? x