hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn October 2014 | Page 6

October Gardening

by Stuart McCann of Gardening Angel

The date of writing this is the 14th
September. We have been very lucky
with the weather so far this month,
not too hot and very dry, which
makes for perfect working conditions.
As long as we get some rain soon
though because the beds and borders
are drying out again.
October gardening is all about getting
everything looking tidy, digging your
borders over, mulching and treating your
lawn before winter kicks in. On top of
these jobs there are still loads of things
that will be keeping me busy throughout
autumn. Planting spring bulbs, preparing
winter pots/baskets and eradicating fallen
leaves!
One of the many questions I get asked
being a gardener is when is the best time
to mulch? Personally I prefer to mulch
my borders in autumn, because as well as
locking in moisture, it conserves warmth
in the soil over the winter months and
also suppresses weeds. If you mulch now
it gives you a good head start for the
following year. There are various types
of mulch each with its advantages and
disadvantages. These range from Chipped
bark, Leafmould, Composted bark and
Farmyard manure. A few general tips
when applying mulch is try to apply to
damp soil, but never apply to dry soil, as
this will not be beneficial to plant growth
or the soil. Always try to avoid the bases
of shrubs and woody-stemmed trees as
this can cause rotting, try and leave a gap
6

of 8cm in diameter
without touching
stems. Lastly try to
aim for a layer ranging
in depth from 7cm
to 9 cm. Also, beds and borders look a
hundred times better after they have been
mulched!
I have been asked to create a number of
new beds over the coming weeks (October
is the best time to plant your new shrubs).
Also whilst you are at it, you can chuck
in a load of spring bulbs to make sure
you have a sea of colour early spring. I
will wait until next spring to also add
my perennials to my new designs. A few
shrubs that I may use are Philadelphus,
Choisya, Mahonia, Viburnum (different
varieties) and Euonymus. The list is
endless as there are a whole load of shrubs
depending on personal preference. I will
make sure to add a good helping of soil
improver working it into the soil before
planting. Also its good to have a large
amount of bonemeal which can be added
to the soil once the rootball is placed into
the soil.
Over the last couple of weeks I have
been helping clients with their Autumn/
Winter pots and baskets. There isn’t as
much variety compared to the Spring/
Summer time, but you can still get a
good show whilst using favourite’s like
Pansies, Viola’s and Cyclamens. There
is a wide variety to choose from, and
you can arrange them accordingly to
create a magnificent colour scheme.

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