Gardening Tips for October 2011

What is the difference between herbaceous, perennial, biennial, hardy and half hardy annuals?

Hardy Annuals – Plant seed, germinate, grow and flower in the same season.
Half Hardy Annuals – Have to be planted indoors and when frost is gone then can be planted outside.
Biennial – Are plants that grow leaves and stems in the first year but do not flower until the following year.
Perennial Flowers and Shrubs – These are plants that flower every year but may die back in winter.
Herbaceous Plants – Are plants that can grow up to several feet in one year, they can be very colourful and die back to the root stock in winter and grow back again the following year.

Maintenance for this time of the year

Lift and divide plants that have finished blooming. Divide and replant Daisies, Callas and Day lilies every few years for best bloom. Lift and store Dahlia Gladiolus and tuberous begonias. Once the first frost has discoloured the foliage, dig out the bulbs, clean off the excess soil, and store them in a box of dry peat moss or old newspapers or vermiculite in a dry place until spring, if you don’t have a frost-free greenhouse or shed, you can keep thetubers in a or unheated porch Make sure your houseplants have been moved inside repotting them if needed in a good compost mix before the temperature dropsbelow 60 degrees at night. Cut back and do not feed for another month or so. Water sparingly. Place near a sunny window but away from cold drafts. Thinkabout planting some spring bulbs in containers for bright winter blooms indoors between December and March.
Do not prune Azaleas, Rhododendrons and other spring flowering shrubs because they have already set their buds for next year’s blooms. If you feel these shrubs do need to be pruned, however, you can prune them now, but you will sacrifice next springflowers.

ROSES

Large bush roses benefit from being lightly cut back to prevent autumn wind damage. If blackspot or rust has been a problem pick off the infected leaves as best as you can anddispose of them but don’t put them on the compost heap.

LAWNS

This is probably your last chance to sow grass seed. Reseed barespots in the lawn as soon as possible so that it will be established before the winter sets in.

Scarify established lawns with a rake, then aerate with a fork if you haven’t got around to it already. There’s still time to use autumn lawn food like Ever Green Autumn feed

PONDS

Reduce the feeding of your fish now as the days are getting shorter and the fish are becoming less active. It is also a good time to take out the submersible pump and give it a good clean up and put away for next year if not in use. Remove dead leaves from the pond. If your pond freezes over frogs can be deprived of oxygen and die. Leaving a small ball in it will keep a small area clear.

Cut down canes of autumn-fruiting raspberries which have finished fruiting and bin to help prevent fungal diseases spreading.