Jobs to do this October
Overwinter perennial bedding plant cuttings
Overwinter young, rooted perennial bedding plant cuttings in a light, cool but frost-free place. Keep them fairly dry, as they’ll rot if they are overwatered. Take off any leaves that turn yellow.
Reduce watering of houseplants
Start to reduce watering houseplants as they’re now beginning to grow less. Never leave them sitting in water or the roots will rot. There’s no need to feed foliage houseplants now until spring.
Keep giving the lawn a light trim
The grass is probably still growing, and will need a trim from time to time. Raise the cutting height to 5cm/2in, so you don’t cut off too much. Brush away any worm casts before mowing.
Prune bush roses
Cut back bush roses by around half to prevent wind rock, which can damage the roots. Some shrubs normally pruned hard in spring – such as buddleia and lavatera – can also be cut back by half.
Re-use growing bags
Don’t throw away growing bags once crops have finished. Remove the old plants, fluff up the compost, sprinkle in some fertiliser and re-plant with pansies for a splash of extra colour, or winter lettuce.
Fill dips and hollows in the lawn
Sort out dips and hollows in the lawn. Sprinkle over 13mm/½in of compost and let the grass grow through. Add more compost at regular intervals through autumn and winter until the lawn is level.
Tidy up herbaceous perennials
Start cutting back faded herbaceous perennials and add the old foliage and stems to the compost heap. Those that produce attractive seed heads can be kept for winter interest and food for birds.
Get planting
This is one of the best times of year for planting hardy trees, roses, hedges, shrubs and fruit trees and bushes. The plants will settle in over winter and get off to a flying start next spring.
Protect container plants for winter
Raise planted containers onto pot feet, bricks or similar to prevent them sitting in water and the compost from getting waterlogged during the winter. This can damage or even kill your plants.
