What I Really Do in the Garden in October

In my Zone 7 Maryland garden.  Mileage may vary in other locations.

You know those long lists of “Things to Do This Month”, with somewhere between 20 and 30 items? Honestly, instead of inspiring me to take action, they cause my eyes to glaze over at the enormity of it all.  What I’d rather know is what really needs to be done now.   So here’s what I really, really do in October – maybe not every year but most years.

Making Sure Shrubs and Trees get Enough Water (this one’s mandatory)

This means noticing the amount of rain we’re getting and dragging out the hose for some deep watering if there isn’t enough.   Trees are my top priority for this treatment, especially conifers (of which I’m a huge fan).

Removing Some Dead “Plant Material”

Annuals and the foliage of some perennials (like hostas) turn to mush at the first hard frost and whenever that happens – this month or next – I pick up the mushed remains and compost them.   Most  perennials I leave standing until late winter or early spring because they look pretty cool, and often feed wildlife.  Purple coneflowers, for instance, attract whole flocks of gold finches.

Buying Plants, Putting them in the Ground

If I’m in the market for trees, shrubs, or perennials I try to buy them now because it’s the perfect time to plant them in our region (with very few exceptions among perennials).   This month I’ve planted ‘Blue Chip’ Buddleias, ‘Kaleidescope’ Abelias, dwarf crapemyrtles ‘Berry Dazzle’ and ‘Sweetheart Dazzle’, three Oakleaf hydrangeas and some ‘Heavenly Scent’ gardenias.

Dividing or Moving Perennials, Moving Shrubs and Trees

I’m busy dividing liriope to cover a steep bank in the shade – they can really be divided any time – and some Sedum ‘Autumn Joys’.   A lot more work will be moving all these:  a 6′ tall ‘Shasta’ doublefile Viburnum, one Koreanspice Viburnum, a 5′ tall redbud, and a few azaleas.  Their roots will have plenty of time to adjust before it heats up next May.

Planting Bulbs

Photo left: tulips and pansies at the Smithsonian’s Ripley Garden

Boxes of bulbs arrived by FedEx recently – one of the few perks of garden-writing – so I have dozens of tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and alliums to plant (though I’ll wait til late November to plant the tulips.)  I can never get enough bulb action in the spring.