OCTOBER

Autumn colours are at their best this month. Make the most of them as they pass very quickly. And garden birds will be attracted to the bright fruits and berries displayed by your trees and shrubs.

October can bring a richness of colour to the garden, with the multitude of different hues displayed by autumn foliage.

October is a good time to:

• Rake up fallen leaves – learn more here!
• Plant new climbers and perennials
• Take hardwood cuttings from shrubs and fruit bushes
• Collect berries from trees and shrubs for seed sowing
• Lift and divide rhubarb
• Plant lily and tulip bulbs

October Weather Watch

There is a significant drop in temperatures now, with frosts more likely on clear nights. But October can have warm, sunny days too. A still, frosty start to a bright day definitely increases the intensity of autumn leaf colour in deciduous trees.

How to make a container for fallen leaves

It seems to be something of a tradition to burn leaves in the autumn, but this is an awful waste of a valuable commodity. Autumn leaves piled into a heap and left to decompose for a year or two will make the most wonderful organic matter to use as a mulch or soil conditioner, known as leafmould..

Leaves can of course be mixed with other material and put on the compost heap, but if you want leafmould, then they will need a heap of their own. The best way to do this is by making a container with four stakes and some chicken wire netting. Bang the four posts into the ground to make a square, and nail the netting round the posts to form the container. The netting helps to keep the leaves in one place, looking tidier and stopping them being blown all over the garden again. Larger leaves take longer to rot down, but after about 18 months to two years you should have a good friable leafmould. Use it as a mulch or dig it into the soil, as you would do with garden compost.