Written by: Crocus Head Gardener Ashley Edwards
October is still a busy time in the garden. Autumn is in full swing, there’s still plenty of time to get spring bulbs in the ground and it’s also a great time to start thinking about planting trees.
Bulbs
You may be used to seeing many of the common bulbs like daffs, crocus, tulips and alliums. But how about the lesser utilised bulbs that put on equally vibrant displays. Camassia, Iris, Fritillaria and pushkinia are all great for extending the seasonal display. These work well in pots or borders, and Camassia are particularly good in damp meadows as are fritillaria.
Puschkinia libanotica - is an early spring flowering bulb that creates a delicate carpet of white flowers, striped with a blue vein. They are reminiscent of mini hyacinths or muscari, with a delicate scent. They work well on slopes where they can be seen at eye level, or as underplanting for deciduous trees and shrubs. Planted with daffodils, tulips and other taller bulbs, they create a bold backdrop.
Scilla siberica (syn. Chinodoxa) - commonly called ‘glory of the snow’ as they flower so early in the spring. They can be used in the same way as Puschkinia and are typically sky blue in colour.
Iris reticulata - are some of the earliest flowering bulbs in the garden. The species generally has bright blue petals with a yellow throat, but they come in a large variety of shades. They are short, usually around 15cm in height, so should be planted at the front of borders where they can shine. They work really well in shallow terracotta pots and displayed on a table or windowsill. Add plenty of drainage if planted in a container.
Camassia - are great for naturalising in grass meadows and flower at the tail end of spring. This means you can use them to fill the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials. They range from pale powder blue to deep indigo, as well as cream to pure white. They are native to North America and were eaten and traded amongst the Indigenous peoples.They grow well in moist (but not waterlogged) soils, in open areas or in light shade. Leave the foliage to die down before mowing areas where they are planted.
Celebrating the daffodil
Tulips are very much in vogue at the moment, but many people don't have the right soil type, suffer from Tulip fire and don't want to spend money replacing them every year.
With a long season of flowering and so many colours and forms to choose from, daffodils may be the more sustainable answer. They are often grown and supplied from UK nurseries, are less fussy when it comes to soil type and reliably come back year after year. The early flowers are great for pollinators waking up from hibernation and as the whole plant is toxic, they are left alone by squirrels and mice.
Some of the earliest daffodils to flower, such as Narcissus 'Rijnveld's Early Sensation', flower as early as December and into January, brightening even the darkest months.
If bright yellow doesn't match your colour scheme why not go for a multi-headed, pure white form like Narcissus ‘Thalia’. Thalia flowers from March to April and is a great source of pollen for insects. It also does well in partial shade and moist soils.
Narcissus poeticus var. recurvus is a dainty species that is great for naturalising in meadows. The white petals curve backwards revealing a red rimmed yellow centre.
If you want a daffodil for a pot or trough, Narcissus ‘Minnow’ has sweetly scented, bi-coloured flowers in early spring. It grows to a height of 20cm and mixes well with other miniature daffodils like N. 'Tête-à-tête' and N. 'Jack Snipe.
Once your daffodils have finished flowering, deadhead them but let the leaves and stems die back naturally to send energy back to the bulb for flowering and growth next year. It's good practice to dig up and divide daffodil clumps every 4-5 years after they've flowered, this will keep them productive for years to come.
Bulb Lasagne
This is the name given to the technique of layering different species of bulbs in a single pot to provide flowering over a longer period of time. Start by choosing a well draining potting compost and placing a layer at the bottom of your pot. Your first layer should be the late flowering large bulbs, like tulips or alliums. On top of these place another layer of compost and then add mid season bulbs like narcissi or hyacinth. Repeat this process and add your early flowering bulbs on the top layer such as crocus, iris reticulata or muscari. You can add a mulch of sharp grit to the top of the pot to aid drainage, it looks decorative too. If you have the space you can add bedding plants on top of your bulbs, like viola or cyclamen, to provide interest until the spring bulbs appear. Keep your container well watered in spring and feed with an organic liquid fertiliser. Once your bulbs have finished flowering, you can move them out of sight and allow them to die back. You can then plant them out in the garden or keep them in the pot for next year.
Resist Cutting Back!
As we move into autumn it’s tempting to cut any plant that is turning brown back to the ground. But by doing this you are removing habitat for overwintering insects, many of which are beneficial for the garden and prey on aphids and other pests. Seed heads and old stems also provide winter interest and structure in the garden, so there is also an aesthetic reason to leave this material standing.
There may be cases where you need to cut back plants from pathways, or prevent other plants being smothered. In this case you could gather up the material, bundle it together and place it in a corner of your garden to provide habitat. You can get creative in the way you display this material, in wigwams or layered up in a tower or deadhedge.
The material will eventually break down and you can add it to your compost heap or add to it next year. Increasing the biodiversity in your garden leads to a healthier garden overall!
Create Leaf Mold
Winter is a time to slow down and take stock in the garden. Resist the urge to cut everything back and tidy; invertebrates will appreciate places to hibernate overwinter whilst seed heads and spent stems from herbaceous plants can provide attractive interest until spring. If you do need to collect leaves from paths and lawns, store them in sealed bags with holes in the bottom. Tie them up and forget about them for a year or two and you'll have rich crumbly leaf mold that you can use as a mulch on borders.
As temperatures drop it's time to start thinking about protecting any tender plants. Plants in pots can be wrapped with fleece and moved closer to the house or south facing wall to provide extra shelter. Putting pots on feet will help to prevent them becoming waterlogged. If really cold temperatures are forecast, you may want to wrap the plant pot in insulation to prevent the roots from freezing. If you are growing winter crops then a fleece tunnel will help to protect them. If you have space for a small greenhouse you can grow lots of herbs over winter and leafy salads will thrive too. A warm windowsill works too and you'll be able to harvest your own micro salads and sprouts. Cloches are also very handy at protecting individual and small groups of crops.
As deciduous woody plants go dormant in winter, it's a great time to prune them. Take out any dead, diseased or crossing branches. Aim to create a goblet shaped plant that has plenty of light and air penetrating the centre. Always use clean sharp tools to prevent tears or the spreading of disease. Winter is also a time for planting, spring bulbs can be planted all the way through winter and trees are best planted in the colder months too. Just remember to avoid planting when the ground is frozen as the soil structure and plant roots can be damaged.
There's still plenty of reasons to be out in the garden and nothing beats the crisp blue sky of a winter's day.
