UK Gardeners Urged To Do These Jobs In October Before Cold Weather Hits

October is an interesting month for gardeners. The bounties of autumn are starting to fade away into the barer beauty of winter; bats, birds, and bugs are starting to struggle to find food.

It’s a good time to prepare your garden for a period of low, or no, growth, fallen leaves, and hard, cold soil. So, we thought we’d share the jobs you should get going on ASAP this month (before cold weather hits):

1) Plant some veg

Lucy Rhead, gardening enthusiast at Gtech, shared that it’s a great time to plant onions and shallots, which require little space; spinach (regular harvesting will keep your spinach cropping into spring); lettuce, which you can pretty much grow throughout the whole year, and asparagus, as planting your crowns in warm autumn soil can give them a head start blossoming over winter.

2) Get growing with some flowers, too

It’s a good idea to get some spring bulbs, like crocuses, fritillaries, and daffodils, in the ground now before the soil becomes too hard to dig.

3) Move delicate plants to a greenhouse or conservatory

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) advises moving tender, young, or cold-sensitive plants to a sheltered area in anticipation of harsher climes. This is called overwintering; prime candidates include perennials, palms, tree ferns, and more.

4) Get trimming

Though you should leave some plants like ivy untrimmed, others (like roses) require a good pruning. Herbaceous perennials can benefit from a little haircut around this time of year; check to see which of your plants is due a trim.

5) Divide your perennials

It’s one of your last chances to divide perennials to keep them healthy and ready to flourish again next year. The RHS recommends lifting the plants out gently with a garden fork, making sure you don’t damage the roots.

Once removed from the soil, shake the dirt off to reveal the roots and replant your perennials either in the same spot or a different one in your garden or in a pot. Water them well. You should also divide rhubarb crowns at this time of year.

6) Get cracking on some leaf compost

Whether you intend to rake a pile of leaves into a quiet part of your garden or plan to bag and compost ’em, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about how you can use the fallen leaves for gardening good. Just make sure not to include any infected leaves in mulches or composts.

7) Collect seeds for next year

Grab the last of the seeds from your plants, bag them, and label them in preparation for planting in spring. Some seeds, like those from astrantia, achillea, and red valerian, can be sown straight away.

8) Remove your plant pot saucers now and replace them with raisers

It’s important to keep your flowers hydrated in the dry, hot summer ― but now that the weather’s set to take a rainier turn, you’re at risk of waterlogging your plants if you don’t air them out.

The work of a gardener is never done, is it?

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The 1 Task UK Gardeners Should Avoid Doing In Autumn

Autumn is a bountiful time in your garden. From the abundance of blackberries we saw earlier in the year to the current glut of rosehips, it’s a good season for the green-fingered.

Of course, the end of those autumnal perks signal the start of stark winter’s downsides. Bats and birds begin to struggle to find food. Rough, colder weather makes new growth unlikely.

Thankfully, there’s one simple (in)action you can take to help prevent some of these issues: keeping fallen leaves in your lawn, rather than throwing them out, is actually a pretty great move in autumn.

Eric Michels, Head of Pro at CJ Wildlife, says “One of the best things you can do with fallen leaves is to leave them for wildlife!”

“While some may consider fallen leaves a nuisance, they provide the perfect opportunity to give back to nature and create a habitat or food source for a wide variety of animals this autumn.”

So, here’s how to tackle your leaves without banishing them from your garden altogether:

Forget intense raking ― this is push-and-pile up season

A large, unraked pile-up of leaves on your lawn can cause problems, like mould. But simply shoving them into a heap in the corner of your lawn (rather than carefully clearing and disposing of them) can provide a home for wildlife, Michels says.

“Hibernating mammals, such as hedgehogs, frogs[,] or toads, will use leaf piles to create a nest where they will stay throughout winter, while insects and invertebrates will love the dark, damp nooks and crannies that it has to offer,” he says.

“In turn, this will encourage birds such as robins and sparrows to visit your garden to forage for worms and bugs in the leaf layer.”

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) agrees, saying that “You might not be a fan of creepy crawlies in your composting materials, but they serve an important function by providing food for larger birds and other wildlife.“

Where you place your leaf pile matters

Of course, you won’t want to stick the leaves in a busy or very exposed area ― they’re more likely to get kicked apart or blown away, and it’ll probably be a less welcoming area for wildlife too.

You should “make sure it is located in a quiet corner of the garden where visitors can stay undisturbed throughout winter,” Michels says.

The RSPB adds that “where you put the logs and leaves will affect the wildlife that uses it. Try different spots in your garden, with different sized and shaped piles.”

Got a felled log? Even better!

“If you have any logs or fallen branches, place these next to [the] leaf pile to provide additional shelter and security,” says Michels. The two make a very appealing pair for visiting wildlife.

“Gathered together, this mix can create a lovely pile of goodness to help your garden grow and encourage more birds, bees and other wildlife to visit,” the RSPB shared.

So, if you’ve got some old branches or logs (perhaps from deadheading, pruning, or simply cutting down trees), the more the merrier.

Leaf mulch makes amazing compost, too

Not sure about piling up leaves in your lawn? You can place it in a beg for mulching instead (or on top of) the heaps.

In fact, the RHS refers to bags of leaf mould as “black gold”.

The steps are simple ― collect fallen leaves, stick ’em in a jute leaf sack, a bin bag, or an old compost bag, and simply wait for about two years for the coveted leaf mould.

And if you’re worried about any bad smells, fear not ― “The mention of ‘rot’ may conjure thoughts of smelliness, but decomposing logs, sticks and leaves don’t have much of an aroma at all – just a faint scent of woodlands,” says the RSPB.

You can make leaf mulch even sooner than that ― just “remember to check leaf piles for any animals before moving or mulching,” Michel says.

Look, anything that means I don’t have to meticulously rake and throw out my leaves is good news to me…

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Revealed: UK’s Biggest Japanese Knotweed Hotspots

We’ve written before about how much Japanese knotweed can affect the value of your property.

The invasive plant is notoriously hard to kill and can damage the foundations of your home.

In fact, Japanese knotweed can be so devastating that you can be fined thousands for knowingly spreading the plant throughout your neighbourhood or into the wild (you can even be jailed for up to two years).

So, it’s a good idea to work out how at-risk your postcode is. Luckily, Environet has taken the data from its Japanese knotweed heat map (which documents over 58,000 known infestations throughout the UK) to find the biggest hotspots for the weed in 2023.

Here are the top ten affected locations, and some advice on what to do if you do spot the plant:

The top ten Japanese knotweed hotspots in the UK are, in order:

  1. Swansea, with 1,350 known cases in 2023
  2. Bolton, Machester, with 1,010 cases
  3. Bristol, with 986 cases
  4. Cardiff, with 872 cases
  5. Preston, Lancashire, with 857 cases
  6. Nottingham, with 803 cases
  7. Derby, with 711 cases
  8. Caernarfon, Gwynedd, with 708 cases
  9. Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, with 706 cases
  10. Bridgend, with 664 cases.

You can use Environet’s Japanese knotweed heatmap to find out exactly how common Japanese knotweed is near you.

What do I do if I see Japanese knotweed?

First of all, Nic Seal, CEO of Environet, says that vigilance is key. “Make sure you know what knotweed looks like and how it differs from other common garden weeds like ivy and bindweed, so you can keep an eye out for it in your garden and neighbourhood,” he warns.

You can email a photo of the plant to Environet’s free ID service at expert@environetuk.com if you’re not sure what you’re looking at.

“Knotweed is easily identifiable during summer, but as we head through the autumn and into winter, the above-ground growth dies back and it becomes much harder to spot. It’s also easier to conceal, so anyone viewing a property to buy should be extra careful,” Seal adds.

Simply lifting the plant out of your soil won’t stop growth, as Japanese knotweed “can grow from a tiny fragment of root or rhizome in the soil”.

To treat the issue properly, you need to use chemical weed killers which are best administered by pros.

And because Japanese knotweed is classed as ‘controlled waste’ under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, you can’t just bury or burn it after you’ve tackled the issue.

You’ll have to “use a registered waste carrier and an authorised landfill site or suitable disposal site,” according to Gov.uk.

You must also “notify the Environment Agency at least one month before you bury knotweed” (it’ll have to be at least five metres deep), make sure you only burn knotweed on the site it came from, and check with your local council to make sure it’s permitted in the first place.

Fun, fun, fun…

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Gardening Expert Shares The Plant Every New-Build Owner Should Grow

For a nation of people who really seem to enjoy nature, it doesn’t seem like most Brits are getting anything like enough of it. Research from house-builders Redrow found that roughly “One in four (Brits) haven’t seen worms (27%), a butterfly (26%) or snails (24%) in the last month.”

In a way, it makes sense. “9.7 million people were estimated to live in rural areas in England in 2020, compared with 46.9 million people in urban areas,” Government figures from March 2023 show.

It can be hard to find the space to grow a gorgeous green garden in a bustling city – and even if you have a bit of room, new build gardens can feel impossible to sow and grow in.

The shallow, compacted soil can seem hard to work with, and identical fences and smooth, flat lawns can make newer lawns look a little same-y (as well as discouraging all-important biodiversity).

HuffPost spoke to gardening expert Arthur Parkinson about the best plants to grow avoid the “cardboard box” look of new-build gardens. Here’s what he had to say:

Climbers are the secret to making new gardens look established

When most of us think about growing a flourishing garden, our minds automatically go to the ground. But Parkinson shared that when it comes to new builds, it’s important to think vertically, too.

“Just going back to what a new build garden normally is, you’re overshadowed by other housing. And also the worst thing is just that typical cardboard box feeling of fence panels,” the gardening pro told HuffPost.

“So what one thing I would say to anyone when they’re thinking about what the first plants to plant? Always think about dressing the fences, because that’s almost like putting wallpaper around your garden.”

“Things like honeysuckle and climbing hydrangea, things that are very fast to grow” are a great idea for newer backyards, Parkinson stated. “It’s all about making the garden feel established in a shorter time frame as possible,” he said.


Not sure which plant in particular to go with? Parkinson especially recommends sweet-smelling honeysuckle.

“Honeysuckle is one of the best plants for pollinators – moths can smell it from miles away at nighttime,” he said. “It’s very fragrant, so it’s lovely for us as well. And it then gives a berry in the autumn for birds.”

Whatever you do, though, Parkinson recommends you don’t neglect your fences. ”If you don’t dress the fences, no matter what you do, it will always look like a fairly new garden because those fence panels are just there, very bare-looking, like they need to be dressed,” he warns.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) says that honeysuckle is surprisingly easy to grow, provided it has space, additional support from twine, lattices, or trellises, and ideally some dappled shade.

“Climbing honeysuckles can be bought and planted all year round. You’ll get the best results, however, if you plant deciduous ones in winter and evergreens in spring or autumn,” the RHS adds.

Don’t mind me, just off to the garden centre…

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