by Janis on 27th October 2023 / 0 comments
Autumn has undoubtedly arrived
Well, there’s no mistaking that Autumn has well and truly arrived.
The temperature has started to drop, the trees are turning a beautiful shade of russet brown and pumpkins and gourds are being carved in preparation for Halloween.
I do love the change of the seasons; it means that we’ve started to cook heartier dishes like cottage pie and casseroles; I can’t wait.
We’ve recently returned from a three-week trip to Spain, so the garden has been slightly neglected.
Although I was so pleased to see that some of our dahlias were still flowering, it brought a smile to my face.
Pinterest?
Why not Pin it for later?
What we’ve been up to in October
In the garden and on the websiteAs I mentioned, we’ve been away for a few weeks, so we’ve been quite busy on our sister website, Our World for You.
However, we’ve managed to fill our large garden waste bin in the last few weeks, so plenty of maintenance is still ongoing. Since our return, I’ve cut the grass, but it’s crying out for another haircut.
Striking Dahlia
My softwood cuttings are doing well in the cold frame, and I’ve potted on the last few ready for nurturing them over winter.
I’ve also purchased some spring flowering bulbs; we had a few alliums last year, and I loved them. Structurally, they looked wonderful, and they kept their blooms for ages.
Double daffodils
So, I’ve ordered different varieties of alliums, including ‘Purple Sensation’, ‘Mont Blanc’, ‘Azureum’ and ‘Haarlem Superglobe’. We purchase our bulbs from J. Parker’s, which has a vast choice of and regularly has special offers.
And, of course, we ordered a few more daffodils for our cottage garden bed.
Achievements for October
Let’s keep ticking those boxesOctober has been a relatively quiet month; however, we have managed to tick a few things off the list. Although there is always more to be added.
One particular job that I was pleased Gary and I managed to achieve was to clear out our overgrown front garden bed. The lavender had become quite unruly, and we also had to remove the last of the Buxus as they had been killed by Box blight.
I now need to decide which plants I’m going to choose to fill the two front garden beds. Do you have any ideas? I would like low-maintenance plants with a formal structure and evergreen if possible.
Autumn is here
So, let’s see what we’ve managed to tick off for October.
Cleared the front garden bed.
Pot on the last of my softwood cuttings, ready for the cold frame.
Tackled the lawn.
Collect the many leaves from our Crimson King.
Ordered spring bulbs.
Pruned our raspberry bushes.
Winter our patio irrigation system (take out the timer).
Lessons learnt & mistakes made
You live and learnJust a couple of things, and this is mainly due to timing and being away in September. Firstly, I should have ordered my spring bulbs earlier as; ideally, I need to start planting them. Secondly, I should have potted on my soft cuttings earlier, but hey, at least they are done now.
Successful softwood cuttings
Our plans for the coming month
What’s on your to-do list?Continue to maintain the weeds in the Cottage Garden bed.
Continue to monitor our garden tasks on the RHS Planner; this online tool is so handy.
Clear patio pots where required.
Plant spring bulbs.
Mown the lawn.
Keep collecting those leaves
Move our Peony.
Please let us know what you have planned in your garden this month; we’d love to know.
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