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This Month
The clocks change and suddenly it feels like winter, with cool mornings and dark nights
Take advantage of any dry weather to get your garden ready for winter.
Watch out for heavy frosts and bring in any tender plants that might need overwintering, things like dahlias, cannas geraniums etc.
Try to give your grass a haircut before the winter.
Time to protect your taps and hose pipes from the frost and check your fancy ceramic or terracotta pots have plenty of drainage to prevent frost damage
Plants to buy this month
Autumn & Winter Violas
They will flower longer than pansies, often well into the winter. Most Violas bought in flower during the autumn may stop flowering in the winter…
Autumn Bulbs
Spring flowering bulbs are harvested in late spring and summer and packed ready to sell in the autumn usually in September and October, but they…
Autumn Cyclamen
If you looked in any old gardening book the idea of using cyclamen for autumn colour would be frowned on. However things have moved on…
Autumn heathers
A range of heathers that flower throughout the autumn, from the traditional purple calluna growing high on the hills to modern bud heathers and the…
Box topiary
Buxus or boxwood are very popular evergreen garden shrubs. Slow growing with small glossy leaves they are perfect for trimming and shaping. Grown in huge…
Colourful Conifers
There is a conifer to suit every garden, no matter how small. They are unlike any other shrub, they provide structure, colour and interest all…
On the Nursery this month
October on the nursery is a quieter month, we are still selling our autumn plants but have finished potting our spring flowering plants, primroses and bulbs.
Autumn viola planters with bud heathers.
Our autumn planters are full of violas, they will flower throughout the autumn and look good with autumn heathers.
The Poinsettias spaced ready for Christmas
Our poinsettias have developed a nice shape, some of the blacked-out ones are starting to show some early colour.
The first of our primrose is starting to flower.
Our autumn primrose are starting to flower, they can stand some bad weather and will flower again in the spring.
Just potted
Bellis plugs
The bellis and myosotis seeds we sowed in August are through and starting to grow.
Primrose plugs just potted
The last of our primrose plugs arrive, we try to pot them as soon as possible, they will flower next February and March.
Viola plugs
The last of our viola plugs are potted they will flower next spring If you grow them in pots, they can be used in the house, planters or hanging baskets.
Pests and diseases
Better than sticky traps
Better than sticky traps we use aubergines to attract any white fly that take up home in our poinsettias, however, they also attract everything, greenfly quickly move in followed by caterpillars. We use biological control to sort them out.
Caterpillars are still active
Caterpillars are still quite active and can be destructive eating leaves that can’t be replaced.
Don’t forget vine weevils
There is still time to prevent vine weevils they are busy laying eggs in the autumn. Use nematodes before the end of October outside. However, in a greenhouse, you can use them throughout the winter if the temperature is above 10 centigrade. Applying as early as possible is essential to reduce the overwintering numbers. check out our vine weevil blog
Tips and tricks from the Nursery
Make sure you deadhead your violas.
Keep your violas flowering, and remove the dead flowers and seed pods regularly.
Watering in the autumn, be careful
When watering in the autumn, you need to consider the weather. Use a sunny day and water early in the morning, this wet primrose leaf needs to be dry by nighttime, or disease will start. Avoid splashing lots of water about the high humidity will allow diseases to spread.
Improve your greenhouse atmosphere
Greenhouses need ventilation in the autumn even on cold wet days to reduce the humidity, also think about using fans to move the air.
Plants ready to sell this month
Autumn & Winter Violas
They will flower longer than pansies, often well into the winter. Most Violas bought in flower during the autumn may stop flowering in the winter…
Autumn Cyclamen
If you looked in any old gardening book the idea of using cyclamen for autumn colour would be frowned on. However things have moved on…
Autumn patio pots and hanging baskets
The most important thing about planting autumn planters is timing, if you wait until October to make up your planters, then you will find its…
Garden Mums
Not really a plant, but the name given to autumn flowering dome-shaped chrysanths. They will be smothered in literally hundreds and hundreds of small flowers…
Ornamental cabbage
The humble cabbages flamboyant cousin, usually sold in full glorious technicolour, ranging from deep purple to deep pink or pure white. They seem to glow…
Check out our How to buy plants guide
We can help you choose the correct plants and avoid those expensive mistakes.
Check out our where to buy plants guide
If your plants keep failing, you might be buying them at the wrong time or poor quality plants from the wrong supplier.
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