October 2024
After an exceptionally hot and dry July and August, we finally received some welcome rain at the end of September. Many of our lawns and flower beds had begun to look crispy and were in desperate need of a soaking. Even a number of trees in our neighborhood had begun to shed their leaves about a month early. The much needed moisture has helped re-green the grass, perked up the autumn blooming perennials, and stopped the early leaf drop on our deciduous trees.
I have long dreamed of visiting South Africa at this time of year. Some of my favorite plants like Clivias and Proteas orginate there and are in bloom in September/October - the southern hemisphere Spring. This year I managed to make that dream come true. And what a dream-like experience it was visiting Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town, one of the great botanic gardens of the world. See the photos in the gallery below for some of the fantastic scenery my husband and I experienced.
October Garden Tasks
While October is a terrific month weather-wise, it is certainly my least favorite when it comes to garden activities. As evidenced by my photo above, the tasks of digging and disposing of annuals, digging and storing bulbs, and hauling houseplants inside, is hard work and a bit depressing as they signal the end of the gardening season. It is exciting however, once you complete those tasks and see all that bare soil, to begin planning for that dream garden you’ve always wanted. My mind is already racing, thinking about how I can make the gardens even more beautiful next year.
In the meantime, here are some tasks for you to complete this month in your garden:
Plant fall pansies in a sheltered sunny spot for color that will last all winter, then add spring blooming bulbs in a matching color scheme in between each pansy plant. See the photo above for the combo I chose this year. I planted yellow and purple pansies and have interspersed them with a collection of purple and yellow tulips, as well as purple and yellow iris. The iris will bloom first, just as the pansies are starting to add new foliage and flowers, and then the tulips will bloom as the iris are finishing. This will provide me with a lot of color in March and April, before I start planting summer annuals in May.
Bring tropical plants indoors a couple of weeks before you turn on your furnace for the season. This will give the plants time to adjust to the lower light levels in your house before you add the extra stress of lower humidity levels created by the furnace.
October is a great month to plant new trees and shrubs. The soil is still warm enough for the roots to get established, but the lower temperatures help reduce the stress of transplanting.
Dig tender bulbs and tubers and store in a cool, dark place. I store my Caladium bulbs in plastic tubs, covered with slightly dampened peat moss. I also store my Canna Lily tubers in plastic tubs, but I wrap them in slightly damp newspaper. Make a note on your calendar to check on the bulbs and tubers in January/February to make sure they haven’t dried out.
Begin cutting down the foliage on some of your perennials. Leave those with seed heads, like coneflowers, so they can continue to provide a food source for birds.
Have fun transforming some of your containers into Halloween displays. See the photo above for an urn I created yesterday for my godson.