Much has been made of a 'low-maintenance garden.' It is, however, in the opinion of Canadian horticulturist Kelvin Brown, "The stupidest phrase in the English language." True, green-thumb-endowed gardeners, know that this rings true at least for October.
"Use of good cultural practices, fertilization, irrigation, mowing, aeration, overseeding and topdressing will be more critical than ever to help customers maintain healthy lawns," wrote Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) turf expert Pam Charbonneau in the trade publication
Horticulture Review. And that's just for the grass.
If you have not applied a lawn fertilizer, now is the time to do so. If weeds have become a problem, the jury is still out on the value of using one of the new environmentally friendly herbicides. Field experiments have revealed mixed results. Given the cost of these treatments, unless the weeds are out of control, perhaps it would be wiser to refrain and return to proven cultural methods. These include, over and above fertilizing, keeping mown to two inches high and not shorter, aeration and perhaps top dressing. This latter is rapidly gaining converts. Rake specially formulated, weed-free topsoil over the lawn up to a quarter-inch thick. Later in the year, before winter sets in, apply a dressing of granulated lime.
Diversion No. 1
"This is the fits and fickles of weather in Southern Ontario. What's happening out your back door may not be what's happening out your front door." David Phillips, senior climatologist, Environment Canada
Keep on watering--October often has dry periods. Evergreens especially require reserves of moisture in their tissues to take the safely through the coming cold. Perennials and herbs that may be in the process of loosing their foliage are still actively growing below ground, as are those newly planted bulbs. All require adequate moisture also.
Fortunately, we have water literally on tap whenever we want it. As Fred Pearce noted reviewing Peter Rogers and Susan Leal's new book
Running Out of Water for the weekly
New Scientist: "Our water isn't running out--evaporation and rainfall will see to that. What is at stake is having water where we want it, when we want it."
Diversion No. 2
Fresh salad may await the first astronauts arriving on Mars, thanks to Canadian Arctic research. Scientists visit the autonomously operated greenhouse on barren Devon Island for only a few weeks each summer. In charge of the Canadian Space Agency, it is named the Arthur C. Clarke Mars Greenhouse after the late British science fiction writer who died in 2008 aged ninety. It has raised lettuce, radish and beets.
Pruning back and earthing up roses is still another month away, despite nervous gardeners exhibiting a bed of neuroses. However, garden centres are loath to order extra composted manure and three-in-one mix but will, with any luck, have sales on the remaining stocks. Rose collars are another items almost impossible to find later. Incidentally, if you discover lawn fertilizer for sale, you can also take advantage of the savings. Storing until next spring in an unheated shed or garage is no problem--it will not deteriorate.
Many perennials will require to be taken firmly in hand as they die back this month. Cut back to an inch of so by all means but handle the seed heads with care. Phlox are an excellent example of a potential problem. Newer, better-coloured and mildew-resistant selections are will be overtaken by seedlings arising from carelessly handled seed heads. These seedlings will revert back to the old-fashioned, wretched washed-out pink garden phlox leaving novice gardeners wondering what happened to the better--and more expensive--cultivars they purchased this past spring.
Diversion No. 3
A small, spiral-shelled snail was accidentally introduced into Britain in the late 19
th-century. Now considered one of the resident 300-odd snails,
Papillifera bidens needs a common name. Two stately homes where the little beast was first reported from are duking it out for that privilege.
It's time once again to commence raking fallen leaves. The lazy leave them then complain the following spring that the lawn has been smothered. The same thing happens if raked onto perennial flowerbeds. Reminds one of the tale of the woman that went with rakes and fell upon hard tines. Shredded, however, the leaves make wonderful natural mulch. Better still, as the rot down, they release nutrients into the soil beneath. Old time gardeners called this leaf mould. Decades ago you could actually buy bags of it. Make your own by heaping into a pile leaves into a pile and running a rotary lawnmower back and forth over them. As with everything involving mowers, children and pets should be excluded to avoid heart-breaking accidents. Store the shredded leaves in garbage bags punched with a few holes in the garage or tool shed until required later after the ground has frozen. All sound too much like work? The late Katherine Hepburn got an exceptional start on her way to fame and fortune. She explained how in Connecticut, "The money for these delights I earned in the winter by shoveling snow in our driveway and various sidewalks in the neighbourhood. Cutting lawns and leaf raking at other seasons" (
Me: Stories of My Life, 1992).
Mulches should not be applied until the ground is well and truly frozen. The idea is to keep it frozen and avoid the freeze-that-freeze-thaw cycles that devastate unprotected perennials. The exceptions to this rule are various hardy root vegetables such as beets, carrots and leeks. If mulched late this month or next, the ground will remain soft enough to harvest them perhaps as late as Christmas. Problem is that garden centres and other retail outlets are unlikely to stock mulching materials later in the year when you need them. The only answer is to buy now to use later.
Diversion No. 4
Harrowsmith Country Life magazine advised: "Note any fall bloomers that will need to be divided next spring." Er--yes, quite. Gardeners never get their knockers in a knot.
A caution here when handling daffodil bulbs: A report from
The Daily Telegraph's garden columnist Bunny Guinness indicates Brits are poisoned by mistaking them for onions. Discovered stored away in the garden shed, they are added to the alleged English cuisine with unpleasant although apparently not fatal results.
Finally, we that a farmer's life, no less than a gardener's, can lead to frustration, as our favourite Poetess of the Prairies, Sarah Binks, observed:
Bounteous harvest, we'll sell at cost --
To-morrow we'll have an early frost;
Glorious autumn, red with rust;
We'll live on the general store on trust.
