Northwest October Garden To-Do List

fall in the Pacific Northwest is a wonderful time of year , and October is the best month of autumn . While it is the start of the rainy time of year , there are also lingering warm days and foggy morn , especially in the Seattle expanse . There are plenty of garden chores to keep yourself fussy this calendar month . Here are just a few .

Plant spring - bloom bulb . Once those toppingly selectedspring - florescence bulbsarrive from your late - summer catalogue orders , it ’s fourth dimension to get them in the ground . I am guilty of ordering too many electric light because I need to try raw mixture that become available . The first thing to adjudicate is where new bulb will be rifle . I often take bamboo sticks to attend in the layout of the incandescent lamp placement . This helps me see where the bulbs will appear once spring is upon us . For tulips , daffodils , and other mixture that look good in masses , I like to employ a small jigaboo or a sharp hand shovelful to dig a shallow planting area large enough to reconcile five to seven medulla . ensure to incorporate the recommended amount of a near - quality bulb fertilizer . For smaller medulla or exclusive plant ones , I like using a regular light bulb plantation owner . This is a great puppet if you only have a small assortment to plant ; otherwise a larger shovel works well . No matter the planting method , firmly recall the soil to the planting cakehole and take down where the unexampled bulbs have been planted . Here are some more tipsto ensure great medulla oblongata exhibit next spring .

Put the garden to bottom . It ’s a skillful meter to start the line of fall cleaning in your perennial bed and miscellaneous perimeter . There are many ways to take on this job . In recent year I ’ve used the “ chopper and bead ” method . After cutting down perennials , I continue to hack up the material into 1 - to-4 - in piece , which I scatter over the area where it came from . If a works is particularly tough or woody , I use smaller pieces . This is a sound elbow room to burn down on take otherwise good organic fabric you have tame over the farm season . If a perennial is pathological or infested with pests , however , do n’t use that material . If tidiness is a business organization , you’re able to cover the pertly chopped fabric with a light , even coating of compost . Learn more tips for cleanse up your fall garden here .

Divide perennial . Autumn is also a great time to increase your perennial bylifting and dividing them . If I know I am going to separate a plant , I will purposely pull up stakes the dead stems on them or cut them very long so that I have a ocular admonisher of which ones to dissever . This will help oneself later when replanting the divisions in the garden and serve as a visual monitor of what new additions I have total to a garden field . Lifting and dividing perennial is also a swell way to polish off the dead centers of older plants and to help reinvigorate them . Developing dead centers is quite vulgar with Siberian irises ( Iris sibirica , Zones 3–8 ) and ornamental Grass . If your recurrent divisions are fertile , you may also give some to your horticulture friends .

Remove leaves from your lawn . Keeping fallen leaves and other detritus off your lawn in fall is a peachy way to help avert bushed patch of pot in the approaching year , peculiarly if you have fertilized and overseeded your lawn in September . I tend my lawn mower over the lawn on the gamey background to cut down up fallen folio and help make leaf mulch . you may either use these leaves directly in the garden beds now or begin a leaf mulch bin for after . This mulch is alimental rich and great for any garden bed . Just be sure to only employ deciduous leaves , as most gravid evergreen plant leaves take a very farsighted clock time to decompose . memorise more about caring for your lawn in autumn here .

lend plants with declination sake . Autumn color is all around us , and this is a great metre to bask it . chat nurseries , garden centers , and local parks is a great agency to see an amazing diversity of free fall colors and be inspired to select plant with expectant fall leaf to add to your garden . I have especial fondness for ‘ Osakazuki ’ Japanese maple ( Acer palmatum‘Osakazuki ’ , geographical zone 5–8 ) . The leaves range from yellowed to orange to red on the same tree . It is also a bully minor - scale Japanese maple for urban garden . Maybe you will let on your new favorite fall interest plant this October ? For some suggestion to start with , read on here :

Clean and put away outdoor piece of furniture . As deplorable as it seems , it is in all probability clock time to clean up your garden article of furniture for the last time of the class and store away the cushion for the time of year . At a lower limit , salt away all shock absorber and pillows inside your home , garage , or storage shed . If you do not have privileged storage space for large patio furniture opus , you may always use terrace furniture cover . As fussy as they seem , they are a great investment funds and will help protect your patio furniture for years to come . If potential , keep a chair or two easily accessible for those final warm and sunny days . It is always decent to have a cupful of coffee tree or teatime on the terrace no matter the time of year .

October is a enceinte time of twelvemonth in the garden , and by taking forethought of these round-eyed garden job , you may check that your garden will look its best going into November . I always remind myself to go for walks among the falling leaves and to take ease in knowing that leap will not be far aside !

— Jason Jorgensen is a landscape painting house decorator in Seattle .

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Northern Plains October Garden To-Do List

Midwest October Garden To-Do List

Southeast October Garden To-Do List

Southern California October Garden To-Do List

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