There are also some essential gardening tasks that need to be completed this month. It is an especially busy time for those down South. Well here goes:

October Checklist for Northern Hemisphere Gardens

• Begin preparations for winter.
• Scarify your lawn and apply an autumn fertiliser.
• Start winter digging, just be careful not to damage the roots of your plants.
• Take autumn colour into account when choosing shrubs and trees.
• Establish new hedges.
• Plant bare-rooted roses.
• Plant tulip bulbs.
• Dahlia tubers should be over wintered.
• Lift tender perennials. Tender perennials should now be lifted from the open ground before the worst of the weather sets in. For convenience they may be potted up and stored in a greenhouse that is kept frost-free over winter.

October Checklist for Southern Hemisphere Gardens

• Lift and divide polyanthus after flowering.
• Cultivate spring flowering alpines for the rock garden.
• Top dress camellias.
• Complete bare-root plantings.
• Cut back tender perennials.
• Divide asters and propagate dahlias.
• Plant evergreen trees and shrubs.
• Sow hardy annuals in situ.
• Sow vegetable seeds.
• Establish an asparagus bed.
• Mulch beds to help eliminate weeds and conserve moisture.
• Prune early flowering shrubs, like Berberis, Forsythia and Spiraea immediately after flowering.
• Prune less hardy shrubs like Ceanothus, Fuchsia, and Hydrangea.
• Plant water lilies

It is very easy and most practical to plant water lilies in aquatic planting baskets. These baskets are obtainable from good garden centers. They are open sided to allow for the expansion of the root system. Fill the basket with a good growing medium into which the lily is planted. Planting depth depends on the size of the lily. Miniature lilies should be planted in no more than 23cm/9in of water whilst small-growing ones will be happy in 30cm/1ft. Medium growing lilies will need up to 45cm/1,5ft and the most vigorous as much as 1m/3ft.

Visit Design-Gardens.com for more exciting gardening news and info.

Remember… Plant a garden and make the world a happier place!

Alison