OCTOBER “TO DO” LIST 

Time is running out for the gardening season but it is far from over.  This is still a very good month to plant new shrubs and trees, dig and divide perennials, overhaul the lawn, plant some fall veggies, redo the pots on the patio and plant some bulbs for spring blooms.  Don’t waste this last opportunity to do some last minute tweaking before winter comes to stay.  Here’s my “to do” list for October.   

LAWNS:  last chance to plant a new lawn or overseed an established one.  It’s best if you can finish up these chores by the middle of the month, before the soils cool down too much.  Aerating, dethatching, and controlling moss can all be accomplished now.  Cooler weather can bring on diseases such as rust and red thread.  Both can be treated by improving drainage, fertilizing and/or applying a fungicide.  If you haven’t applied a fall fertilizer yet then October is a great time to do it.  Use an organic fertilizer that won’t leach out of the soil with the first rains.

ROSES:  stop fertilizing and let your roses slow down and mature.  Leave a few finished blooms on to form hips.  Continue to clean underneath the plants and remove diseased leaves.  Don’t do any hard pruning now, just a little sniping to tidy them up.  Next month we will talk about mulching and pruning for the winter.  We have until Thanksgiving to prepare our beauties for the winter so enjoy the last of the blooms this month.

PERENNIALS:  there are still some late bloomers that look great:  asters, mums, Japanese anemones and toad lilies to name just a few.  Ornamental grasses are just spectacular now.  Enjoy the last blooms of the season and don’t rush in the tidy things up.  There are lots of seeds in those old flower heads that the birds will enjoy.  Wait until the first frost to really start cleaning up the perennial beds.  In fact, you can even wait until mid to late February to do it.

BULBS:  this is high season for planting bulbs.  If you have severe problems with squirrels digging up your bulbs try adding some minced garlic or cayenne pepper to the hole when you plant or soaking them briefly in the same solution before you plant.  Whether in the ground or containers, always add some bone meal or bulb food to the planting hole for superior performance and more vibrant colors.  With some careful planning you can have blooming bulbs from January until June, sometimes all in the same pot.

VEGETABLES:  Plant fall crops now and control winter weeds by either laying-on a 2-3 inch layer of compost or planting a cover crop.  Building a cloche (a temporary greenhouse-type structure) will also help to produce a successful winter crop.

CONTAINERS:  now that we have had some rain and cooler weather maybe you will feel like it’s okay to pull out the petunias and geraniums and replant those pots.  You will find a wide selection of plants at the garden centers this time of year; evergreen perennials, grasses, pansies, “flowering” cabbage and kale, dusty miller and painted heather to name just a few.  You should really try and complete this task this month. 

FALL COLOR:  this is the month to experience the best of the fall color the northwest has to offer.  Traditional plants like maples, mountain ashes, sumacs and burning bushes are coming into their glory as we speak.  If you have plants now that just don’t color up like they should it might be because they are in too much shade or are receiving too much TLC.  A little stress and full sun do wonders for generating vivid fall colors. 

Well, that’s the check-list for the month.  Get out and enjoy the fall air.  By this time next month you will be raking leaves and putting the garden to bed for the winter.  If you have questions you can reach me at Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville at 425-334-2002 or online at info@sunnysidenursery.net