Choice plants in October
It's time to dust off your winter woolies and put an extra layer on before heading outside. The cool, crisp, sunny days we are having now are perfect for planting. If you have not done so already, you should aim to get your spring flowering bulbs in by the end of the month. There is still time too to lift and divide overly large clumps of perennials before replanting them with some Rootgrow or bonemeal, and many of the others can be cut back hard now before being tucked in with a generous layer of mulch. We can all look forward to the brilliant colours of autumn and the subsequent carpet of crunching leaves underfoot. They look great, but they are best tidied from lawns and borders before heading inside for a warming cuppa.
Our monthly favourites
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Cracking Combination of the Month
Prunus × subhirtella 'Autumnalis' & Cyclamen hederifolium
These two plants will bring colour to the garden at a time when very little else is in flower. The Prunus provides structure and height, as well as months of colour with their pendulous pink flowers, while the Cyclamen, can be scattered at its feet to form an informal, long-flowering carpet.
Prunus × subhirtella 'Autumnalis'
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
Unlike many of the other ornamental cherries, which put on a blowsy display for a few weeks in spring, this AGM holder produces its flowers intermittently from mid-autumn to spring. It has an open, branching canopy, which means it rarely casts very heavy shade, even in midsummer when it is in full leaf, and because of this it is easy to under-plant. It looks particularly good with early flowering bulbs like snowdrops and crocus.
Cyclamen hederifolium
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
Don’t be misled by the flowers dainty appearance, as this is one of the easiest cyclamen to grow. It will flourish in shady spots where it will self-seed freely, gradually spreading to form quite large clumps. Use it to carpet the ground beneath deciduous trees and shrubs, or add colour to a woodland floor. It also looks great in pots, where it can be underplanted with spring flowering bulbs.
Liquidambar styraciflua 'Worplesdon'
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
If you have the room for it, then this easy to grow and undemanding tree will provide a stunning display in autumn when at the first hint of frost, its green, maple-like leaves turn first a deep shade of plum, then orange-red and yellow before they fall. It is tolerant of a wide variety of conditions, but for the best seasonal colour it should be planted in rich soils where it gets plenty of sun.
Vitis coignetiae
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
Naturally occurring in thickets or the edges of woodland, where it is found scrambling over large shrubs or through the canopy of trees, the massive (up to 30cm long), heart-shaped green leaves of this tendril climber will also turn spectacular autumnal colours as soon as the temperatures dip. In urban settings, these plants are ideal for smothering a pergola and providing a Mediterranean-style canopy of cover overhead.
Pyracantha Saphyr Orange ('Cadange')
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
A chameleon-like plant with a myriad of uses. It can be grown as a free-standing shrub, or neatly clipped into a hedge, where its thorny stems will deter even the most adventurous intruder. If trained, it will also make an excellent wall shrub, covering ugly, or over-large walls (it’s particularly handy in shadier spots). Now it is laden bright orange-red berries that drip in generous clusters from its evergreen branches. Not only a treat to look at, they are very attractive to birds too.
Malus 'Evereste'
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Why I like it and what it’s useful for:
Small enough to squeeze into a really large container, yet large enough to provide shade and shelter for birds and other wildlife, this tree is ideal for smaller gardens where space is precious. It offers several periods of interest throughout the year. In spring it has masses of pure white flowers and now in autumn, large, orange-yellow fruit that are flushed with red. These crab apples last for ages and will remain on the tree for ages after the last leaf has fallen.