Tom Strowlger
@garden_with_tom
October is a very important month in the gardening calendar, it’s our last real opportunity to get garden jobs done before the nights pull in and temperatures dip further. An exciting job for this month is to plant Spring bulbs in preparation for a beautiful floral display in Springtime 2025. Our love of Spring flowers and the optimism they bring us on those lengthening days of Spring is well worth our planting effort now.
We must therefore get planting Snowdrop, Daffodil, Hyacinth, Crocus, Allium and Tulip bulbs into our favourite beds, borders, planters and pots. We plant spring bulbs in autumn to allow them time to fully establish their roots before a period of dormancy over winter. They will be ready to Spring into action once the temperatures rise in the new year.
Make sure to pick borders, beds, planters, tubs and pots with well-drained soil with part to full sun to get the best results from your bulbs. The golden rule for planting Spring bulbs is to measure the depth of the bulb and dig a hole three times its depth, this ensures they are deep enough to be protected from ground frosts and hungry wildlife. You may want to dig a shallow trench for a beautiful formal row of Tulips or randomly plant Daffodils into your borders, whatever your preference you will need a hand trowel and spade.
A Spring bulb wants to be planted the right way up with its root base in the hole first and the top of the bulb facing upwards, if in doubt plant the bulb on its side, this means the roots grow downwards and the green grows upwards. Gently backfill the hole and let the bulbs do the rest, they will give us such a wonderful surprise in Spring of next year.
Please do follow me on Instagram @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.
• Use a notepad and pencil to put your garden ideas on paper
• Give the lawn a feed and boost
with an Autumn Fertiliser
• Empty any unused posts and
clean them out for storage
• Place your pots on pot feet or pieces of wood to prevent waterlogging
• Place a net over ponds to prevent falling leaves