You’d think given the cyclical nature of gardening, that the jobs you do in October would be the same year in year out. And I’d therefore only need to write a gardening jobs for October blog once. But it’s simply not the case. As a garden evolves, so the plants and plans you have for it change. So what’s on my list of things to plant at the moment?
#1. Sowing Perennial Seeds Directly
This time of year is a good time to sow some seeds of perennial plants directly into the ground. You obviously need to weed well, and prepare the area where you plan to plant. Fork it over, level it and give it a bit of a rake so that you have a fine tilth for your seeds. It all sounds a bit of a faff but it’s well worth it if you want seed success.
I’m a huge perennial fan. Not least because, as the name suggests, they come back year after year. So you get a long of reward for your initial efforts. There are a number of perennials that are good to plant from seed in October, but I’m focusing on Primula Veris and Sweet Woodruff.
Primula Veris
I have Primula Veris – or Cowslips to you and me – colonising under our Ash tree and they look so lovely. I think they look almost like wild orchids and they are so beneficial to bees. And once they get going, they spread pretty easily.
Inspired by the success of the Ash tree, as part of my gardening jobs for October, I’m going to clear a patch under our Beech tree and sow some there too. We already have Snakeshead Fritillery, Bluebells, Snowdrops and Chionodoxa growing under the tree. The addition of some Primulas will add to the wonderful wildness of the area.
If you are nervous about putting Primula Veris Seeds straight into the ground, you could grow them in a seed tray first and then plant them out at a later date. As they need cold and wet conditions to germinate, some may take a while to get going. Be patient!
If, like me, you love all types of Primulas, you may like my Primula blog
Sweet Woodruff
Galium Oderatum or Sweet Woodruff as I know it, is another perennial which you can grow from seed now. And it is such a wonderful plant. In particular, if you have a tricky shady spot, it’s a good choice, especially under trees.
I have it growing in my semi-shaded woodland style bed where it creates this fantastic ground cover cushion of white starry flowers. Once it’s established, it romps away, but it’s easy to pull up if it gets out of hand. And it doesn’t strangle other plants. It simply provides a cloud of loveliness through which other plants rise up. It officially flowers from mid-Spring to July, but mine seems to go on and on!
As one of my gardening jobs for October, I’m going to sow some more Sweet Woodruff seeds directly into my raised bulb bed, I think it will look very pretty with the Lamb Ear (Stachys) which is already growing there.
Cow Parsley
While planting this isn’t on my gardening jobs for October, Cow Parsley can also be planted direct from seed now, and it’s a beauty. It looks so lovely wafting on the verges of the lanes where I live. It likes sun, though copes with a bit of shade, and is incredibly good for insects. So, if I had room in a sunny border for some, I’d definitely plant it.
Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Ravenswing’ is a particularly striking variety. It has clusters of tiny, cream-white slighly pinky flowers, these contrast with lacy, dark purple foliage and purply black stems. The effect is stunning.
I think it would look good planted in a cottage style border or if you’re trying to create a bit of a wild meadow. So if you’ve a good sunny spot for it, you could give it a go.
It flowers in Spring and Summer and makes a really dramatic cut flower. Though if you leave it in the garden and don’t cut it back, the flower heads provide some much needed Winter interest too. What’s not to like!
If you don’t like my three suggestions there are plenty of other perennials you can grow from seed directly now. These include Phacelia and Orlaya grandiflora.
#2. Planting Bulbs
Just a month ago I blogged about the bulbs I’m planting this year to inject a riot of colour. Indeed I’ve spent the past few weeks getting my crocuses in, and planting some daffodils in containers. However, some bulbs have yet to arrive. In particular, my 150 English Native Bluebells haven’t yet materialised. I’ve noticed shortages of plants in garden centres and am guessing that there are possibly problems right throughout the supply chain caused by COVID and Brexit, lorry drivers etc which are impacting on all sorts of supplies. Anyway, in terms of my dear old Bluebells, that’s not a problem as they will still be fine to plant in October. I’ll be poised and ready for action when they arrive.
So if you haven’t planted your bulbs yet, now is still a good time to plant some. Alliums, crocuses, irises, hyacinths and daffodils can all still be planted now.
#3. Gaura
While I wait for the Bluebells I’m going to get on with planting some Gaura into seed trays. As those of you who follow me on social media will know, I love Gaura. I think it’s brilliant for containers, with its lofty swaying butterfly shaped flowers, drifting on a breeze.
But this year I also added it to my borders, where I have a pink variety which looks completely gorgeous alongside a Mexican Feathergrass. My Gaura has been flowering since May and is still looking fantastic now we’re in October. That’s six months of gorgeousness. What a worker!
The only downside is that Gaura can be a little tender and suddenly die after a particularly harsh Winter. So it’s worth having a back up plan. I’ve tried taking Gaura cuttings but with no joy. And while I will persevere (as I hate being defeated by something), it suddenly struck me, why not grow some from seed? Now is the prime time to sow them. So that’s going on the list of gardening jobs for October.
How to Grow Gaura from Seed
I’ll put the seeds in trays of good quality, moist seed compost, about 3mm deep, in a cheap propagator I have, and put this on a warm well lit windowsill. If you have a greenhouse (I don’t) you could of course grow them there too. Apparently they need a temperature of 18-21ºC (65-70ºF).
I’ll transfer the seedlings once they’re large enough into their own little pots, or in trays – so long as the plants are 5cm apart keeping them in trays is fine – and will grow them on a bit. I’ll then acclimatise them outside ones the frosts have finished.
Of course, if the Gaura plants I already have survive the Winter, I could end up with a glut of Gaura. Now that’s my definition of a quality problem! In this instance, I may plant up a series of containers with my new Gaura plants and position them around the garden, or maybe I’ll put a bank of them in pots towards the front of my house. I’m not sure, but will cross that truly wonderful bridge when I come to it!
#4.Planting Sweet Peas Indoors
My last bit of October planting is Sweet Peas. I think I must be some kind of Sweet Pea masochist. Every year I try and every year they’re a bit of a disappointment. It’s so annoying. Sweet Peas are easy. You could say they’re easy-peasy. Sweet Peas are the plant you use to get children into gardening! Why am I so rubbish with them?
Well I’m not going to be defeated. Last year to improve on the previous year’s disaster I tried Autumn sowing. You can see it on my list of jobs for October last year here. The sweet peas took very effectively as the picture above shows. However the seedlings grew rampantly and I stupidly allowed them to get too long before pinching them out. When I did it, it was too late. So, as a result, I had to give them a further radical chop back to encourage bushiness in early Spring. They looked very unhappy with me after all this messing about!
They survived, and I duly planted them out on the patio in a container, and they did look lovely, and smelled divine. But they were not what I’d call an abundant display. I think all my mistreatment had set them back.
Growing Sweet Peas in Autumn
So I’m going to try again. As before I’ll plant 3 seeds per 3 inch pot in damp, decent seed compost and pop them on a light, warm window ledge.
I’m not sure which variety I’ll go for. Last year I chose an old heirloom variety, Miss Wilmott, a very pretty salmon pink sweet pea. But I’m tempted to go for something redder this time. I think a wigwam of red sweet peas would look lovely in the red corner I’ve created this year on my patio. Perhaps Ruby Anniversary or King Edward VII. Either of these interwoven with the purple sweet pea Lord Nelson would look very handsome.
Then again, I may just plant a massive random mix as there are so many lovely colours to go for!
Whatever I choose, this time I will keep a closer eye on them to make sure I pinch them out promptly!
So these are my main planting plans for October. What are you planting? Do share…Happy gardening X