Florist's Calendar For October. October Works In The Flower Garden. Photo

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Florist's Calendar For October. October Works In The Flower Garden. Photo
Florist's Calendar For October. October Works In The Flower Garden. Photo

Video: Florist's Calendar For October. October Works In The Flower Garden. Photo

Video: Florist's Calendar For October. October Works In The Flower Garden. Photo
Video: How To Draw a Flower step by step In 6 Minutes! 2024, March
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The middle month of autumn is not for nothing that scares almost every gardener. When the most colorful time transforms the landscapes, literally wrapping the panorama in fiery colors, and multicolored leaves rustling softly under your feet, one of the most difficult periods of gardening begins. In October, nothing should be overlooked, because there may not be another chance to prepare the plants and soil for winter, plant the last planned crops and carry out all the organizational work. And the vagaries of the weather do not at all facilitate the tasks facing the summer resident. And against the background of the last flashes of flowering, you will have to work tirelessly so that next year the flower beds, rabatki, lawns and reservoirs are even more beautiful.

Take care of potted plants in the garden
Take care of potted plants in the garden

Fighting the luxurious leafy bedspread

Falling leaves are a truly magnificent sight. They cover the soil and paths with a fiery carpet, hiding the already beginning wilting and unattractive glades and allowing you to admire the most colorful landscapes of autumn. But on the site, the leaves are not only beautiful decorations, but also a source of labor-intensive work.

While the last perennials and the most persistent of the annuals still continue to delight with either touching or colorful flowering, most plants actively shed their foliage in October. It forms a thick carpet, which not only interferes with the access of air to the soil, but also creates conditions for heating, rotting, rotting stems and the active spread of pests and fungal diseases. And where you actively move, it can cause injury in bad weather.

It is very important to collect leaves in the garden on time. Of course, the layer of foliage is far from being harmful everywhere, but it must be removed without fail:

  • near reservoirs and streams (and even more so from the water surface);
  • from lawns and meadows with ground cover plants;
  • on paths, paths and all areas in the garden (soft and hard surfaces).

Leaves are removed from flower beds, ornamental trees and shrubs according to completely different rules. Deciduous shelter created by nature itself must be removed. It is necessary to remove the layer of fallen leaves even for the most resistant large plants - solo shrubs. And the less leaves the plants have, the better. Own foliage of ornamental plants can become a breeding ground for diseases and pests, and not all crops need it.

For those capricious perennials and shrubs that need good air circulation and are prone to powdery mildew and other diseases, fallen leaves are useless. And for those decorative deciduous and cultivated plants that love mulching with leaves, it is created manually, selectively, taking into account the requirements of each individual plant.

Deciduous mulching must be correct. Such a shelter will only be beneficial when the foliage itself is dry and healthy (it can only be harvested under healthy plants, in dry weather). For wrapping, the foliage is the same as for composting. Under no circumstances use oak and walnut leaves for mulching, and sprinkle coniferous needles only near those plants that like high acidity.

Harvesting leaves is a laborious task. And the correct choice of mechanical assistants will be the key not only to success, but also to minimize the effort. For large areas, you can buy special garden vacuum cleaners, but even in the smallest garden you will need a high-quality and lightweight rake with an ergonomic handle and a separate lawn rake - lightweight that does not harm the turf.

We clean the lawn and flower beds from fallen leaves
We clean the lawn and flower beds from fallen leaves

Finale of the season of weeding and digging

Despite the fact that weeds have long ceased their rapid development and spread in the garden, it is very important to control them in this month. How hard you are in October will determine the amount of gardening work next year.

Be sure this month to spend the last, final season weeding in all flower beds, beddings, in decorative groups - even those on which there seems to be nothing to weed. Gently pulling out the remnants of rhizomes, removing old weeds and putting the soil in order will take away your strength. But you will fully appreciate the work done in the spring, when it will be much easier to cope with active young weeds than usual.

In addition to the final weeding of all compositions, do additional cleaning in areas with bare soil that have been dug in the previous months. At least areas of soil ready for sowing in spring or waiting for planting of perennials and be sure to remove the remnants of weeds. During the last weeding, be careful not to confuse young shoots of ornamental plants that reproduce by self-seeding with weeds, for example, lupine, poppy and calendula.

Where the soil is still idle and is just waiting for your care, do not delay digging. Remember that work not done in the fall will be three times as heavy in the spring. Remove all plant residues from the soil and select weeds, and then be sure to dig the soil to a depth of one shovel bayonet. Just do not rush to fluff and aerate: in October, you just need to turn the soil over without breaking the breasts. Frost and snow will themselves provide a light and crumbly texture. But the fluffed soil is likely to be compacted and compressed under the snow cover, because it will not have time to "settle" before frost. So do not rush to do extra work: in October, the garden needs a simple digging, not aeration.

Final preparation of perennials in flower beds and ridges

Perennials by the end of October should be prepared for winter. Perennials that have completed flowering and do not need more protection for the winter than mulching, regardless of their status, size and flowering time, need to be put in order. Remove dry foliage and damaged, dead shoots. Not all plants will need a complete cut. For peonies and phloxes, cut off at the root, but carnations, nivyaniki, heucheras only need to remove peduncles and dry foliage.

Ornamental cereals, loosestrife, dried flowers and evergreens are not pruned at all: these are the main characters of the cold season. But in other crops, if you notice beautiful achenes and panicles, do not rush to cut off the shoots: perhaps they should be left to decorate the winter garden. So, charmingly under the caps of snow, shields of yarrow, dry "cones" of echinacea, lush caps of hydrangeas look. But remember that any pruning rules do not apply to infected plants: they need to carry out a cardinal pruning in October, because infected shoots, foliage or flower stalks can become sources of problems for the entire flower garden.

Covering plants for winter
Covering plants for winter

After finishing cleaning, take care of winter protection:

  1. Be sure to mulch the bulbous plantings made this year.
  2. Create a protective layer of plant-based mulch around plants that are frost-resistant but don't respond well to snowless periods.
  3. Prepare materials in advance for sheltering roses and other perennials that need more protection for the winter. If October surprises with early frosts, you will be ready to urgently cover the plants. Do not forget to remove early shelters during the day and air the sods and bushes.

Caring for spicy herbs in flower beds

Mint, lemon balm, monarda, basil, catnip, thyme, thyme have long since changed the status of a garden "herb" to the title of a universal decorative culture. Today, they are more often grown in flower beds and in flower beds, where they flaunt with unique textures and durability than in classic beds. In October, all spicy plants that grow in decorative compositions should be given a few hours.

Thyme, rhubarb, lemon balm, tarragon, monarda should be cut this month and prepared for wintering. Cut the shoots low, at a level of 5-15 cm. After pruning, be sure to mulch the soil, first creating small hillocks around the bushes, and then covering all the soil under the plantings with humus or compost with a standard five-centimeter layer. Such protection will allow even the most capricious varietal thyme to overwinter.

If you want to enjoy your favorite spicy herbs all winter, but it is in October that you can transfer some of the plants to a pot culture. Gradual adaptation to new conditions will make it possible to successfully use greens to decorate windowsills. For this you just need:

  1. Dig up small bushes or divide large sods.
  2. In prepared, clean pots, freed from the summer, plant delenki using a thick layer of drainage and a high-quality substrate.
  3. Maintain light soil moisture and start non-concentrated dressing, leaving the plants in the garden to get used to growing in containers until a severe cold snap.
  4. Move the pots to a cool, bright room to gradually adapt to room conditions for several days.
  5. Place the pots of herbs on the windowsill and care for them as you would regular houseplants. Remember that herbs brought from the garden will need the brightest spot in the house.

Woody and shrubs in October

In October, do not carry out any work on shrubs and trees on flower beds and in works (except for collecting fallen leaves). This month, it is undesirable to even renew the mulch under them or create a new protective layer on the soil. The only exception is conifers. During the first ten days of October, potash fertilizers should be applied to the soil for all conifers in decorative compositions.

Expanding your collection of ornamental and woody shrubs in October is not a bad idea at all. This month, not only fruit trees can be planted in the soil, but also various shrubs with beautiful foliage or original varieties of purely decorative trees. True, there is one "but": landing can be carried out only in pre-prepared holes. Strictly adhere to the planting rules for each specific species, and after planting, do not forget to water the plants abundantly several times. In October, you can still replenish the collection of large tubular and woody plants with winter-hardy species.

If the living fences of hornbeam, maple, beech on your site are in a state of disrepair, or the plants have developed so actively that the fence looks sloppy, then in the first decade of October you can still carry out light pruning. Both landscape and trimmed hedges made from these plants will tolerate pruning thin young branches as long as you don't touch the skeletal shoots.

Do not forget about late and not only roses

If the weather is favorable, late varieties of roses will decorate the garden with luxurious inflorescences even in October. Of course, the foliage of even the most persistent specimens will not please the eye, but the inflorescences against the background of fading nature and golden autumn will seem even more luxurious. And late roses need to be given special attention. True, work with the garden queen is limited by the requirement to avoid any pruning:

  • be sure to remove wilting inflorescences from the bushes, but in no case with scissors or pruners, but carefully plucking and breaking off the branches;
  • remove dry leaves from under the bushes;
  • completely remove dry or damaged branches immediately.

Also pay attention to all other roses that have already bloomed: collect the fallen leaves and in advance, before the final pruning, the time of which will come later, cut out dry and damaged shoots.

We remove gladioli and dahlias

As soon as the garden is first forged by small night frosts, and the temperature drops by at least one degree below zero, remove the last bulbous and corms from the garden. Gladioli, begonias, dahlias, crocosmia, galtonia and other autumn flowering plants must be removed from the soil in October. After digging, cut off the shoots, carefully peel the corms and bulbs from the soil and dry for 2-3 days in a well-ventilated place. Only then remove the seedlings for storage, guided by the preferences of each plant.

Dig up gladioli in warm weather, in the same order in which they bloomed - from early varieties to late specimens.

Dahlias also prefer digging on sunny days with the first mild frost. But if it is easy to dig up gladioli, then you need to be careful with dahlias. Fleshy root tubers during this period are superfragile, and in the process of extracting their soil, you should not even slightly pull the stems, and even more so roughly handle the dug rhizomes.

Digging dahlias
Digging dahlias

Planting in flower beds and beddings can still be done

October is perceived by many as the finale of the gardening season. But this month, not only does the colorful garden show not stop, but the planting of new plants in decorative compositions should continue. Moreover, among the horticultural crops, there are unique beauties who prefer late planting - hyacinths and lilies of the valley.

October is ideal for planting hyacinths. The thing is that these bulbous plants take root quickly and actively only if the soil temperature does not exceed 9 degrees. At the same time, in the heat, they outgrow and may not at all withstand negative temperatures. They cannot be planted at the same time as crocuses with tulips, but as soon as the autumn colds come and the average temperature approaches 6-10 degrees, it's time to plant the bulbous aristocrats in the most advantageous locations in the foreground of flower beds. Of course, hyacinths need the brightest lighting possible.

Lilies of the valley prefer no less late planting - from the second decade of October. Of course, they need completely different conditions, partial shade and shade, but the main specificity concerns the landing process itself. If you want these delightful plants to quickly fill the soil and create delightful glades of large leaves, to bloom en masse, then plant the lilies of the valley in deep holes (such that the roots do not bend or curl when planting), and the growth points are lowered compared to the line soil by 1-2 cm.

Pre-winter crops

Many garden perennials, annuals and biennials love pre-winter sowing no less than growing through seedlings. Natural stratification allows not only achieving earlier seedlings, but also eliminates the need to independently stimulate germination. Saving time in spring is also an important plus. Podzimny sowing is carried out in the third decade of October, but the specific dates should be determined by the whims of the weather. Sowing can be carried out only after the onset of a stable cold snap or even the first freezing of the soil.

Forget-me-nots, lupins, lavender, poppies, most cereals, ornamental flax, foxglove, delphinium are just a few of the ornamental crops that prefer pre-winter planting. From annuals, you can sow asters, gypsophila, alissum, lavatera, nigella, godetia, cornflowers, iberis, cosmea, adonis, mattiola, poppy, escholzia and calendula at the end of the month. And among perennials, primroses, hellebores, cyclamens, gentians, aquilegia, peach-leaved and Carpathian bells, cornflower, doronicum, lychnis, Gaillardia, small petals, obrieta and carnations also prefer to go through cold stratification.

After sowing, immediately mulch the soil in the beds using peat or compost, and then cover the crops with dry leaves (and, if possible, spruce branches).

Preparing your lawn for winter

At the very beginning of the month, without delaying even the second decade, carry out the last preparation of lawn areas for a long winter. If the lawn has not had time to grow, do not cut it anymore, but if you are late with pruning in September and the clearing needs a mowing, do the last mowing at the very beginning of October. In no case do not mow lawns lower than 5 cm high. But if mowing is far from mandatory, then you need to take care of the cleanliness of the lawn and its health in any situation.

Be sure to remove moss colonies, debris and leaves from your lawn in early October. After cleaning, prick the sod with a special tool and comb it again with a rake, ensuring that the sod is perfectly clean before winter. Cover the bald patches or dry areas that you did not have time to restore in September with an emergency method: remove the remnants of the old dry sod, sow and immediately cover the soil on the bald patch with sand. It is strictly forbidden to fertilize the entire lawn, but it is better to “reinforce” such affected areas during preparation for winter with a portion of autumn fertilizers.

Potted garden in October

In the most troublesome month of autumn, you need to constantly monitor the collection of tubs and potties. Oleander, geraniums, fuchsias, dope tree-like this month can still be used for cutting cuttings. If the weather was warm and heat-loving plants were still in the garden, they should be removed indoors as soon as the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. Citrus fruits, palms, fuchsia do not tolerate severe cold snaps. With the forecast of the first night frosts, it is worth taking away the remaining non-resistant plants, all indoor crops remaining in the garden.

The only plants that can withstand the first frost are species that grow naturally in a harsh climate, frost-resistant tubs, chrysanthemums, cereals, ivy and conifers. For them, you need to prepare a shelter (the pots should be wrapped at the first frost, protected with mats and non-woven materials), put them in groups and secured from turning over in bad weather, and also adjust the care by making watering minimal, draining water from the pallets and completely stopping feeding.

In October, winter-green potted plants and traditional late autumn decoration of balconies - dahlias, gladioli, chrysanthemums, sage, ivy, sedum, heathers, fescue and other cereals - can be displayed in place of carried away or discarded plants. They will look charming on the terrace or in the gazebo, in the decor of your favorite recreation area.

Do not forget to clean, rinse and dry the pots that are released from the last years immediately. They need to be put in order and stored until frost.

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