October is an excellent time for planting in your garden. It’s ideal for planting spring-flowering bulbs, herbaceous perennials, trees, and shrubs. However, it’s important to be cautious of early winter weather. If a harsh winter arrives soon after planting, delicate plants may struggle to survive. This was evident in late 2022, when early frosts and sub-zero temperatures caught many off guard. To give your plants the best chance, consider planting earlier in September or waiting until spring, especially for less hardy varieties.
Perennials and Bulbs
October is perfect for planting many reliable perennials. Some great options include astrantia, campanula, hardy chrysanthemums, geraniums, persicaria, pulmonaria, rudbeckia, hardy salvias, sanguisorba, sedum, and verbascum. Peonies also thrive when planted this month.
For spring bedding plants like violas, pansies, wallflowers, and bellis, October is the right time to plant. Woody plants such as shrubs and trees also benefit from being planted now. Consider selecting shrubs that bloom in spring or summer, as well as evergreen varieties.
Bare-Root Plants
October marks the beginning of bare-root planting season. Bare-root plants are often more affordable than pot-grown ones, establish quickly, and tend to be successful. Common bare-root plants include roses, fruit bushes, canes, trees, hedging, and some ornamental trees. Some nurseries now offer bare-root perennials as well.
If you receive bare-root plants and cannot plant them immediately due to frozen or overly wet soil, store them in a bucket of compost to keep the roots covered and moist until conditions improve. Avoid letting the roots dry out.
Spring-Flowering Bulbs
You can continue planting spring-flowering bulbs throughout October. While daffodils and anemones are best planted by the end of September, they can still be planted in October. Tulips, however, should be planted in November when the soil is cooler, though it’s wise to order them early as they can sell out quickly. Bulbs to plant now include:
- Alliums
- Anemones (e.g., De Caen and Anemone blanda)
- Camassia
- Chionodoxa
- Crocus
- Daffodils
- Fritillaries
- Hyacinths (for garden; indoor hyacinths should have been planted in September)
- Iris (early-flowering species such as Iris reticulata)
- Lilies in containers
- Muscari (grape hyacinths)
- Ranunculus
- Scilla
Some bulbs, like snowdrops, winter aconites, and bluebells, are better planted ‘in the green’ in spring for better success rates.
Vegetables and Seeds
October is a good time to sow hardy vegetables that will overwinter and provide an early harvest. Consider planting over-wintering or Japanese onion sets, shallots, spring cabbages, garlic, and dormant fruit bushes and trees. For sowing, try winter lettuces, salads (under glass or indoors), winter-hardy peas, broad beans, and green manures.
Sow hardy flowering plants such as hardy annuals and perennials this month. Many perennials benefit from the cold temperatures of winter, which help break their dormancy and encourage germination in spring. Hardy annuals can also be sown directly now, and the seedlings will be ready to grow in spring. Notable varieties include Ammi majus, calendula, cerinthe, cornflowers, larkspur, Orlaya grandiflora, nigella, poppies, and scabious.
Sweet pea enthusiasts often sow their seeds in October, as recommended by expert Roger Parsons. This allows plants to develop a strong root system before flowering in late May. If you live in the far north or Scotland, spring sowing may be a better option due to lower winter light levels.
Pruning
October is the final month to prune deciduous hedges like beech, hornbeam, hazel, and hawthorn to ensure they are tidy for winter. Cut back any perennials that look messy or flop, but leave others in place to provide wildlife habitats.
Hard-pruned shrubs, such as buddleia and lavatera, can be cut back to about half their size to prevent wind damage. Prune climbing roses now as well. Trees like birch should be pruned in October to avoid sap bleeding, which can occur if done in summer.
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