Why October is a good time to propagate your shrubs

Q: My neighbour keeps talking about ‘putting her garden to bed’ for winter. Does that thinking still stand?

A: I am often asked when and how to prepare the garden for winter. Some people wonder whether October is too early to start thinking ahead, but my answer is always the same: no.

What has changed, however, is our understanding of what a winter-ready garden should look like. For many years, gardeners were encouraged to cut everything back, clear away every fallen leaf and leave borders looking neat and tidy. Today, we know that a little untidiness can be beneficial. Seed heads, hollow stems and leaf litter provide shelter for wildlife, while many plants add beauty and structure throughout the colder months.

That doesn’t mean abandoning all autumn jobs. Good gardeners still need to look ahead and be ready for whatever the weather decides to do next. Predicting the seasons has become increasingly difficult, and while autumn can feel mild one week, a cold snap is never far away.

The first thing to consider is which plants need protection. Tender favourites may need moving indoors or into a greenhouse before temperatures begin to fall. This is also an excellent time to take cuttings from plants you would like to enjoy again next year. A little effort now can save money and provide plenty of new plants for the seasons ahead.

Next, look around the garden and identify anything that might suffer in strong winds or heavy rain. Some plants will benefit from staking, while others are best cut back. At the same time, resist the urge to remove everything. Seed heads and skeletal stems can provide wonderful winter interest. Echinops, for example, look magnificent when touched by a frost.

October is also a good month to think about the lawn. Keeping grass reasonably short helps prevent leaves collecting and sitting on the surface, where they can create damp patches and encourage disease.

Then there is the annual question of what to do with all those fallen leaves. Some gardeners use them as a protective mulch around vulnerable plants, while others prefer to compost them in heaps or leaf-mould cages. Both approaches have their merits, although leaves can sometimes offer as much shelter to slugs and snails as they do to precious plants.

Finally, a little tidying never hurts. Yet it is worth remembering that our standards often relax during winter. What seems untidy in July can look perfectly natural in January, and many areas of the garden are better left alone until spring.

One task I am setting myself this year is compiling a list of plants that have coped particularly well with drought conditions. They do exist, despite appearances. If you have any favourites, I would be delighted to hear your suggestions.

GARDEN TASKS FOR OCTOBER

This is a good time to propagate shrubs, particularly if they have struggled after the summer. Take healthy, non-flowering shoots about 30cm long, remove most leaves and insert into free-draining soil in a sheltered spot. Leave until late spring before checking for roots.

Cut back blackberries and autumn-fruiting raspberries. Mulch and feed well. Tie in this year’s new blackberry shoots ready for next season.

Make the most of late sunshine to ripen squashes and pumpkins. Lift fruits onto logs or blocks to improve air circulation and storage quality.

(Image: Getty Images)

PLANT OF THE MONTH:

Sedums

Very hardy and drought-resistant, sedums are among the best plants for late-season colour. RHS Award of Garden Merit varieties remain the top choices. ‘Purple Emperor’ combines near-black foliage with upright pink flowerheads, while ‘Herbstfreude’ (‘Autumn Joy’) produces pink blooms above foliage that deepens to red in autumn. ‘Matrona’ offers softer pink flowers and green leaves edged with purple. Popular with pollinators and highly regarded by gardeners, these reliable perennials provide valuable colour and interest long after many summer plants have faded.

Got a gardening quandary? Drop Ian an email at iantribe@gmail.com

Ian Tribe is the author of The Plant Kingdom (Hamlyn). He has taught widely, founded the Wisley Series at RHS Garden Wisley, and currently runs monthly gardening workshops in Ryme Intrinseca, as well as writing and broadcasting, with an occasional gardening slot on Radio Solent