THE GARDEN WEBSITE.COM
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Blog
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Grub Control
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
  • Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tour Blogs
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?

The Garden Website.com for October

A golden October sunset, Coronado Beach, San Diego​

The Garden Website for October

New: Fast & Inexpensive Fall Wreath
Colourful Fall Trees - Colourful Fall Shrubs - Colourful Fall Vines - Berries for Fall - Ornamental Grasses for Fall
Overwintering Tender Bulbs - Winter Protection - Vegetable Garden Prep - Garden Bed Prep
Fall Pruning - Planters for Fall - Protecting Planters - Caterpillar Control - Fall Lawn Care
October Introduction - October Plant Combo - Amanda's Garden Blog - October Garden Chores 
October Garden Stars - Plant Police - October Arrangement - Plant of the Month: Beautyberries
Need Help? - Job Postings - Learn How to Prune - Garden & Plant Events - For the Tropical Gardener  

October Intro

October autumn display,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
An autumnal display at Harris Nurseryland, Ladner.
And suddenly it’s October. Autumn foliage and brilliant sunsets are the charm before dreary Old Man Winter comes to town. In Southern coastal British Columbia, that’s usually November, making each and every lovely day in October a special treat.

I love all the colours of the fall foliage but no matter how pretty they are, it’s a real pain raking them off the lawn. They have no regard where they fall. Gardens are smothered and plants hidden, but it’s all part of nature replenishing the soil with nutrient rich foliage. It’s a boon for the earthworms and all the beneficial organisms that enrich the soil, which provides food for plants so don’t remove it from the garden, just the lawn and evergreens to prevent rotting.
​
It great to have enough leaves to generously cover all the garden beds. Whenever I don’t have enough, I grab a few curbside bags from neighbourhood. They must think I have a screw loose, but hey, I’m just a gardener doing my ‘thang’ like many other plant nuts. We are out there. Disguised as normal people, hidden in plain sight. But beware, we’re coming to abscond with your bagged leaves! 
Cheers,
Amanda
Ribes sanguineum,flowering currant,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
The yellow fall foliage of a flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum.

October ​PLANT COMBO

Jacobaea maritima,dusty miller,Aster novi-belgii 'Audrey' New York Aster,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Dusty miller and Audrey, a dwarf New York aster, love full sun and good draining soil.
Dusty miller and dwarf asters are a simple but pleasing combination. Although duster millers (Jacobaea maritima) are commonly considered annuals, they will last a few years if planted in Zones 7 to 10. To prolong their life, remove any flower buds as soon as they form. The dwarf aster above is a New York aster called 'Audrey' (Aster novi-belgii 'Audrey'). Both plants prefer full sun and good draining soil. 

plant police

bracket fungi,gandoderma,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett,plant police
These strange growths on the tree trunks are called bracket fungi.
These weird growths on the tree trunks are referred to as bracket fungi. They decompose the trees from the inside. The shelf-like fungi appear on the trunk and/or main branches. Affected trees have branches die back from the tips, which often break and fall off. When you see fungus like this growing on a tree, it's a gonner. It's best to cut the tree down and don't replant in that same soil as it's contaminated and will spread to the new tree. 

Colourful FALL Trees

Ginkgo biloba,maidenhair tree,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
The fan-shaped leaves of the maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba) turn a brilliant yellow in the autumn.
  • ash trees (less susceptible to emerald ash borer): European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) blue ash (F. quadrangulata) narrow- leaved ash: (F. angustifolia)
  • aspen (Populus tremuloides)
  • beech trees (Fagus)
  • black tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
  • Judas tree (Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’)
  • katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)
  • American sweetgum (Liquidambar styracifluca)
  • maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)
  • oaks: red oak (Quercus rubra), Pin oak (Q. palustris), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea)
  • Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica)
  • quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
  • sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
  • snowy mespilus (Amelanchier lamarckii)
  • sourwood (Oxydendrum arboretum)
  • maples: sugar maple (Acer saccharum), Japanese maple (A. palmatum), red maple (A. rubrum)​, vine maple (A. circinatum)
  • zelkova (Zelkova serrata)
Acer circinatum,vine maple,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Vine maple (Acer circinatum)
Japanese maple,Acer palmatum,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
Fraxinus americana,white Ash tree,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
White ash (Fraxinus americana)
Cercidiphyllum japonicum,katsura,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum)
Acer japonicum,fullmoon Japanese maple,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Fullmoon Japanese maple (Acer japonicum)
Nyssa sylvatica,blackgum,tupelo,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Blackgum aka tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica)
Zelkova serrata,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Zelkova (Zelkova serrata)
Persian ironwood,Parrotia persica,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Persian ironwood (Parrotia persica)

Colourful Fall Shrubs

Euonymus alatus 'Compactus',
Burning bush (Euonymus alatus 'Compactus')
  • beautyberry (Callicarpa bodiniera) & berries
  • blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum)
  • burning bush (Euonymus alatus)
  • buttercup winterhazel (Corylopsis pauciflora)
  • doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum)​
  • golden smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Golden Spirit')
  • royal purple smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple’)
  • heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica) & berries
  • Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica)
  • oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) & flowers
  • Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)
  • redbud hazel (Disanthus cercidifolius)
  • redvien enkianthus (Enkianthus campanulatus)
  • staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
  • summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
  • Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica)
  • witch alder (Fothergilla)
  • witch hazels (Hamamelis) 
Witch hazel,Hamamelis mollis,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis)
summersweet,Clethra alnifolia,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
summersweet (Clethra alnifolia)
Spiraea japonica,Japanese spirea,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica)
Rhus typhina,staghorn sumac,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina)
Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple',
Royal Purple smokebush (Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple')
doublefile viburnum,Viburnum plicatum,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
doublefile viburnum (Viburnum plicatum)

Colourful Fall Vines

grapes,vitis,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Grape vines colour up nicely in fall. This one is located at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California.
  • Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) foliage, berries
  • ornamental purple grape (Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’) foliage, berries
  • porcelain vine berries (Ampelopsis brevipedunculata) flowers, foliage
  • sweet autumn clematis (Clematis paniculata) fragrant flowers
  • Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) foliage, berries
Boston ivy,Parthenocissus tricuspidata,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
Parthenocissus quinquefolia,Virginia creeper,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia)
Autumn clematis,Clematis ternifolia,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Autumn clematis (Clematis ternifolia)
Boston ivy,Parthenocissus tricuspidata,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata)

Berries for Fall 

laurustinus viburnum,Viburnum tinus,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Laurustinus viburnum bears incredible metallic-like blue berries.
  • American cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus)
  • beautyberries (Callicarpa)
  • chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa)
  • coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus)
  • crabapple (Malus transitoria)
  • firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea)
  • hawthorns (Crataegus)
  • laurustinus viburnum (Viburnum tinus)
  • mountain ash (Sorbus hupehensis)
  • dogwoods: red osier (Cornus sericea) & tartarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’): white berries, red stems
  • rockspray (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
  • rugose roses (Rosa rugosa)
  • serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
  • hollies (Ilex)
  • snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
  • strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)​
rockspray,Cotoneaster horizontalis,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
rockspray (Cotoneaster horizontalis)
Rosa rugosa 'Hansa',fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Hansa rugose rose (Rosa rugosa 'Hansa') rose hips.
crab apples,Malus,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Crab apples
tartarian dogwood,Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Tartarian dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’)
Symphoricarpos albus,snowberry,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus)
Sorbus aucuparia,mountain ash,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia)
Crataegus pinnatifida,Chinese hawthorn,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida)
Ilex aquifolium 'Argenteo Marginata',silver holly,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Silver holly, Ilex aquifolium 'Argenteo Marginata'
Callicarpa bodinieri,beautyberry,Pyracantha coccinea,firethorn,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Beautyberry (Callicarpa bodinieri) purple berries, firethorn (Pyracantha coccinea) orange berries.
Lavallée's hawthorn,Crataegus x lavalleei,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Lavallée's hawthorn (Crataegus x lavalleei)

Grasses for fall 

Japanese Forest Grass, Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola',fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola')
  • Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’)
  • blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis 'Blonde Ambition')
  • switchgrass (Panicum virgatum 'Northwind')
  • little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium 'Jazz')
  • blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) 
  • flame grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Purpurascens') 
  • fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides )
  • pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) 
  • prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)
  • big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
  • feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’)
  • bottlebrush brass (Hystrix patula)
  • silver feather maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis ‘Silberfeder’)
  • Indian grass (Sorghastrum nutans) 
Calamagrostide lanceolee,feather reed grass,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostide lanceolee)
Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue',blue fescue,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Elijah Blue fescue (Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue')
Miscanthus sinensis,Maidenhair grass,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Maidenhair grass (Miscanthus sinensis)
Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Kitten',fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Little Kitten maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis 'Little Kitten)
Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum',purple fountain grass,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Purple fountain grass (Pennisetum setaceum 'Rubrum')

Overwintering Tender Bulbs

overwintering gladiolus,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Wait for gladiolus foliage to yellow before digging them up and storing for winter.
Gladious: Allow their leaves to turn yellow before lifted them. If you can't wait, lift them while still green and hang them upside down in a frost free location until the leaves yellow. Once the leaves turn yellow, cut off the stems just above the corms. Place dry corms in a cardboard box surround by vermiculite, peat moss, sawdust of clean, dry potting soil. Dust with layer of cinnamon to reduce disease. Store in a frost free location. Avoid storing in plastic to reduce rotting.
fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Dry dahlia tubers before storing and don't forget to label.
fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
These dahlia tubers were covered with vermiculite and are ready to store in a frost free dry area.
Dahlias: Cut all stems back to 4 inches, wait a week then dig them up with a garden fork and label. Knock off the soil and remove any dead, diseased and damaged tubers. Place in a dry frost-free area to cure for a week. Before storing the tubers, cut back the stems to 1 inch and place into cardboard boxes that are ¼ filled with sterile dry media such as vermiculite, peat moss, sawdust or clean potting soil. Lay the labelled tubers right side up in the box so they don’t touch each other. Dust each dahlia with a good coating of cinnamon to prevent fungi. Add the media ensuring that all the tubers are buried. Store in a cool 5 - 10°C (40-50°F), dry area such as a garage or basement. Check every monthly for any mushy or dry shriveled tubers and discard. 
overwintering tuberous begonias,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Once tuberous begonias start to decline cut them back and bring them inside.
Tuberous Begonias: Bring them inside when they start to decline or bitten by frost. Cut off all the stems within to 5 inches. Remove all debris from the pots and soil surface. There’s no need to remove them from their pots for storing. Cure indoors at room temperature out of direct sun until the remaining stems have withered. Store in the basement or another cool, dark but frost-free location. Check monthly and water if soil becomes to dry. Another option is to store the cured tubers in a cardboard box full vermiculite or other sterile media. Check monthly and discard any mushy or emaciated tubers. 
overwintering tuberous begonias
Store tuberous begonias in their pots and repot in spring.

Amanda's Garden Blog & New articles 

Picture
  • Fast & Inexpensive Fall Wreath
  • Planting Spring Bulbs in Autumn
  • Updated: Saving Geraniums, Coleus, Bougainvilleas & Other Tender Plants 
  • Dealing With Drought!
  • Heritage Vancouver 7th Annual Garden Tour
  • Growing Potatoes
  • Pruning Shrubs into Trees
  • Portland's International Rose Test Garden
  • 10 Steps to Festive Planter
  • Christmas Tree Selection 
  • Collecting & Saving Seeds
  • Heritage Vancouver 6th Garden Tour
  • The Dunbar Garden Tour 2018
  • Easy Roses Do Exist.. Really!
  • Dart's Hill, A Garden Park
  • VanDusen Botanical Gardens Visit
  • Tall Kale Tales
  • Northwest Flower & Garden Show, Seattle
  • Pruning in Winter
  • Pruning & Training Grape Vines in Winter
  • Insects & Diseases Control with Dormant Spray
  • Why Christmas cactus Don't Blossom
  • A Quickie Festive Swag
  • Putting the Garden to Bed
  • How to Drain Soggy Soil
  • A Visit to the Arizona - Sonora Desert
  • Banana, Palm Tree Winter Protection
  • Lasagna Gardening, Sheet Mulching
  • Spiders Everywhere - Oh My!
  • Tomato Troubles & Soil Solarization
  • Trees That Drip That Sticky Stuff
  • Balcony Bliss
  • One Huge Beetle! 
  • A Summer's Day Harvest
  • The Dunbar Garden Club Private Tour
  • Leaky Birdbaths and Slug Free Strawberries
  • Easy Roses
  • Oops... Wrong Plant, Wrong Place
  • I Had An Ugly Lawn...
To subscribe to my blog click here. 
Picture

Learn How to Prune

What to prune now? How to prune? What tools to use? How far can a plant be cut back? All are great questions. Register here  for Amanda to teach you all about pruning your plants in your garden at your convenience.
learn how to prune, Amanda Jarrett,Amanda's Garden Consulting,The Garden Website
LIST YOUR GARDEN & PLANT RELATED EVENTS
For plant and garden club events, plant sales, garden tours, workshops and other plant related events.
To post your event here click here. ​

Need Help?

Amanda Jarrett,Amanda's Garden Consulting,The Garden Website
Confused?
If you need some guidance to get your garden ready for winter book an appointment for a consultation here. 

October Garden Chores

winter pansies,Amanda's Garden Blog,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Pansies are perfect to brighten gardens and planters during fall and winter.
  • Winter Bedding Plants: Plant cold hardy bedding plants: winter pansies, primroses, ornamental kale and cyclamen. ​
  • Plant spring flowering bulbs. Wrap tulip bulbs with chicken wire when planting. Dust all bulbs with cinnamon as it is a natural fungicide and sprinkle with bone meal to promote root growth. To learn more click here.
  • Plant garlic to harvest in July. Select a well-drained sunny site and add some compost, as they are heavy feeders. Break apart the cloves from the bulb and plant them 2 to 3 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches apart.
  • Sow Seeds: Directly sow outside seeds of hardy flowering plants: pansies, poppies, foxgloves, hollyhocks, sweet Williams. They need the cold dormant season and should sprout in spring. 
  • Sow Veg Seeds: Direct seed for winter gardening beets, broad (fava) beans, garlic cloves, radishes, spinach
fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
A cultivator, a claw shaped trowel, is an efficient way to remove weeds and weed seeds from garden beds.
  • Clean beds: Discard: Insect ridden, diseased veggie plants and any infected, infested debris from the soil.
  • Weed:  Pull out all the plant including runners, roots and seeds. Cover the soil with 3 inches of mulch to prevent more of them from popping up.
  • Annuals/Bedding Plants: Remove deceased petunias and other bedding plants.
  • Perennials: Divide summer and fall flowering perennials if they are overgrown.
  • Cure winter squash: acorn, spaghetti and pumpkins in a warm, frost free location for 4 to 5 days. To prevent mould, wipe them down first with a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. Store at 10 to 15 C (50 to 60F).
lasagna gardening,sheet mulching,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
  • New Beds: Need more garden beds? Now is a good time to make a new bed so it is ready for spring. Try sheet mulching aka lasagna gardening.  It’s easy and a time saver as you can build a garden on top of the lawn without digging it up. For more info click here.
  • Collect Seeds: Keep the seed heads on pansies, hollyhocks, sweet Williams, wall flowers, foxgloves and other biennials or collect them to sow in early spring.
  • Cuttings: Take hardwood cuttings from deciduous shrubs and evergreens now through winter and early spring. Take cuttings from dormant, mature stems with firm wood that doesn’t easily bend.
  • Overwintering Tender Plants: Move frost tender plants such as geraniums, bougainvilleas, allamandas, mandevillas, gingers, coleus, angel trumpets (Brugmansia spp., Datura spp.) and fuchsias inside as soon as possible, if you want to save them for next year. For more info, check out my blog posts: 
  • banana-palm-tree-winter-protection.html
  • Saving Geraniums and Other Tender Plant 
fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
  • Storm drains & Eaves: Prevent flooding by removing fallen leaves and other debris. Check them periodically especially after a storm, strong winds and heavy rains. Don't forget to clean out the gutters, before it gets too nasty to do so.​
  • Compost: Turn the compost and water if needed. Don't add plants that have set seed unless the temperature within the compost reaches 60°C (140°F) for 2 weeks. It’s also best not to compost diseased and insect ridden plant parts. An inch or two of fall leaves for the carbon layer.
feeding birds,fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Where's my seed?
  • Birds:  Make sure you keep the feeders topped up as empty feeders makes the birds sad, hungry and angry.
  • Gift Plants: Start amaryllis, paperwhite narcissus and hyacinths when you see them in the stores.
  • Outdoor Furniture: Move to a sheltered location and cover. Bring cushions inside.
  • Tools: Clean and store all your garden tools including the lawn mower. Store overwinter in a dry place away from the weather. Sharpen pruning equipment and spray all tools with vegetable oil, such as Pam. 
fall trees,fall shrubs,fall berries,fall ornamental grasses,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Move fertilizers, seeds and other products from your shed to a frost free and dry area over the winter.

Veggie Garden Prep

vegetable gardens in fall,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Straw mulch on veggie beds protects plants and soil.
  • Remove all diseased & infected plant debris so it doesn't re-infest next years’ crops.
  • Do not compost undesirable debris. 
  • Clean up kale, chard, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and other cool season crops and any debris on top of the soil.
  • After the beds have been ‘dusted’ and sorted, cover the soil with protective layer of straw, fall leaves or shredded newspaper. Avoid using hay as it’s very weedy.
  • Don’t be stingy when covering the soil. A good 3-inches works like a charm to stop winter weeds, erosion and keeps the soil more fertile. Wet everything down to help keep whatever you are using in place. 
vegetable fall gardens,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Torn newspaper also works well to cover veggie beds for the winter. It should be a couple of inches thick so it doesn't blow away.

Garden Bed Prep

October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
My front garden bed before being tidied up.
October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
After all the unhealthy plant growth has been removed. There's no need to rake the soil of all the debris, but do put down a couple of inches of fall leaves to protect the soil and plants.
If you haven’t got down on your hands and knees to clean up garden beds, try to squeeze it into your schedule as soon as possible. To start, discard buggy, diseased and dead plants. Remove the foliage from iris and peonies, but keep perennials with attractive seed heads like ornamental grasses, cone flowers and any roses that bear colourful rose hips. Cut back other perennials but not all the way to the ground. Leave about 6 inches to protect the crowns from the harshness of winter. Hollow stems also provides a place for beneficial insects to overwinter such as delphiniums, Autumn Joy sedum, Himalayan honeysuckle (Leycesteria formosa) and ornamental grasses.
chop & drop,mulches,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Chop & drop method works well for hydrangeas as their flower heads make a pretty mulch.
​Chop & Drop: If you want low maintenance, this clean up strategy fits the bill. When cutting back healthy perennials place the leaves, flowers and stems on top of the soil around the plant. Don’t chop and drop if the plant is diseased or is infested. Always remove and discard peony leaves to prevent Peony Measles (Red Spot, Leaf Blotch).
 
No Raking! I know I sound like a broken record, but save yourself the hassle of raking debris from beds. Just leave it be as it benefits the soil and plants. Do remove any infected and infest foliage etc. Rake the soil if necessary but don’t leave it bare. Apply 2 to 3 inches of fall leaves on top of the soil. Rake them from the lawn or mow and bag them with the lawnmower, then place on top of the soil around plants. 

Pruning

October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Prune back overly long rose canes to prevent 'wind rock'.
​Only remove dead, diseased and broken branches from trees and shrubs. The only exceptions are rose of Sharon, butterfly bushes, hydrangeas and roses. Take off a third of growth from the Rose of Sharon after their leaves drop. Cut back butterfly bushes (Buddleia) by half. Remove flowers from hydrangeas by cutting just above 2 fat buds at the top of the stem. Cut back overly long canes on roses, especially climbers, or secure then to a support. This prevents wind rock, which dislodges plant roots when the wind catches any lengthy canes. 

Planters for Fall

fall planters,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
All you need is some fall flowering plants, funky stems and ornamental gourds to transform a summer planter.
​To transform summer planters with little fuss, remove spent plants and replace with winter pansies, ornamental kale and a few ornamental gourds.
​Otherwise, start off with a sturdy container with drainage holes. Mix together 3 parts sterile potting soil, 1 part Sea soil or compost and 2 parts vermiculite and place in the container so it’s 2/3rd full. Plant with evergreen perennials such as coral bells (Heuchera sp.), English daisies (Bellis perennis), primroses, pansies, variegated Japanese sedge (Carex oshimensis 'Evergold', bergenia, winter heather (Erica carnea). Add snowdrops, crocus and other spring flowering bulbs.

Stick in a few interesting stems such as Harry Lauder's walking stick, curly willow, redtwig dogwood and ones with colourful berries such as beautyberry . Keep in a protected area away from soaking rains. Water occasionally if placed under the eaves. 

Protecting Planters

protecting planters,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Wrap overwintering planters with bubble wrap or insulation to protect plant roots and the containers.
winter protection planters,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
For extra protection, wrap plants from head to toe with burlap or other breathable fabric.

Caterpillar Control

tree banding,caterpillar control,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Stop insects in their tracks by wrapping trees with a sticky tree band.
To prevent forest tent caterpillars and other insects from infesting fruit trees, ornamental Japanese cherries, and any other susceptible trees, stop them in their tracks with a sticky trap. Wrap a 15 centimetre (6 inch) wide band of plastic wrap or foil backed pink insulation around tree trunks at a convenient height. Spread Vaseline or Tanglefoot ® on the band. If using Tanglefoot, wear rubber gloves and use an old or foam paintbrush, or sturdy stick to spread this sticky, thick goopy stuff. And don’t get it in your hair – nuff said. The sticky band catches insects before they do any damage. It is an effective way to control pests without using any insecticides.  
​

October ​Garden Stars

Daphne odora 'Aureo Marginata',October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Variegated winter daphne, Daphne odora 'Aureo-marginata', broadleaf evergreen, 3 - 4' x 2 - 4', part shade, fragrant. Zones 7 to 9.
ornamental kale,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Ornamental kale, biennial, 1’x 15”, sun. Zones 2-9
Sedum Autumn Joy,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Autumn Joy sedum, herbaceous perennial, sun, 1 to 3 ft, Zones 3 to 9.
Colchicum,fall crocus,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Autumn crocus, Colchicum autumnale, corm, 6 to 10”, leaves appear in spring then disappear, only flowers appear in fall, sun to shade. Zones 4 to 8.
Chrysanthemum,mums,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Chrysanthemum, herbaceous perennial, 1-3’ x 2’, many colours & colour combinations, full sun. Zones 5 to 9.
Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’,pink anemone,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Anemone tomentosa ‘Robustissima’, pink Japanese anemone, herbaceous perennial, 4ft, sun to part shade. Zones 5 to 9.
Arbutus unedo 'Compacta',strawberry tree,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo, broadleaf evergreen, 10’-20’ tall & wide, fragrant flowers Oct to Dec, fruit resembles strawberries. Zones 7 to 9.
Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’,spindle tree,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Red Cascade spindle bush, Euonymus europaeus ‘Red Cascade’, deciduous shrub, 10 ’x 8’, sun to part shade, attracts birds. Zones 4 to 7.
Fuchsia magellanica,hardy fuchsia,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Hardy fuchsia, Fuchsia magellanica, tender perennial, sun to part shade, 3' - 5'. Zones 8 to 10.
Viburnum davidii,david viburnum,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Viburnum davidii, David viburnum, broadleaf evergreen, 2-3’ x 3-4’, white blooms April to May, sun to part shade, blue/black berries, butterflies. Zones 7 to 9
glossy abelia,Abelia x grandiflora,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Glossy abelia, Abelia x grandiflora, broad leaf evergreen shrub, 4 - 6’ x 5’, sun to part shade. Zones 6 to 9.
Tricyrtis formosana 'Samarai' toad lily,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,overwintering dahlias,winter garden preparation,protecting plants for winter,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Samarai toad lily, Tricyrtis formosana 'Samarai', herbaceous perennial, zone 4-9, 2 to 4' tall x 3', shade to part shade.

Winter protection

October,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,winter plant protection,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
October,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,winter plant protection,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
​
  • Know your growing zone. In the Lower Mainland of BC, we are Zone 8. If you don’t know your hardiness zone, check with your local plant nursery and garden centre.
  • Another option is to check online:
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardiness_zone
    • https://www.richters.com/show.cgi?page=InfoSheets/NA.html
  • For container plants, select plants one or two hardiness zone lower, ex: if you live in zone 6, select plants hardy to zone 5 and less.
  • Dry soil reduces plant hardiness and resilience to freezing temperatures. Water plants protected from rain (under eaves and trees) and those in containers, before freezing temperatures take over.
  • Don’t cut back everything in fall as the foliage and stems protect plant crowns and roots.
  • Don’t prune trees and shrubs as this promotes new tender growth, which is easily killed by frost.
  • Avoid high nitrogen fertilizers (first number highest) as it promotes lush new leaves that are quickly killed by frost.
  • The lower the growing zone the more winter protection is needed. In Zones 8 to 10, not much is needed other than tying up evergreens and protecting tender plants such as bananas and palm trees. For more colder zones, here are some suggestions to protect plants during the winter. Read more here…
  • Evergreens: Apply a thick lay of mulch (fallen leaves, wood chips) on top of the soil around plants. Tie up upright conifers so snow doesn’t crush and distort them.
  • For tall tender plants: such as palms and bananas, form cages out of chicken wire and place the cage around them. Fill the cages with fallen leaves or shredded newspapers.
  • For medium-sized plants: wrap them with old sheets, table cloths and/or a few layers burlap. Make sure the fabric touches the ground and all the way to the very tip of the plant.
  • Perennials: cover them entirely with a layer of fallen leaves, soil an organic mulch, or straw.
  • Don’t use plastic to protect plants as it has no insulating value and does not allow the plant to breathe. Use breathable fabric wrapped around plants such as sheets, tablecloths and layers of burlap. 
  • Protect the following plants if you live in Zone 8 or lower: newly planted plants, hybrid teas and other grafted roses, New Zealand flax (Phormium sp.), pineapple lily (Eucomis autumnalis), freesias, palm trees, elephant ear (Colocasia spp.), Australian tree fern (Alsophila australis), bananas, rock rose (Cistus spp.), and lavenders especially the Spanish & French. English lavender is hardy to Zone 5 and is the hardiest of all the lavenders.
Lavandula stoechas 'Anouk' Spanish Lavender,October,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Spanish lavender, Lavandula stoechas 'Anouk', needs extra protection in Canada.

Fall Lawn Care

October,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
​Mowing: If your lawn is still green and growing a little TLC now will go a long way for a happier lawn. Mow when dry and frost free, which might be a bit tricky this time of year. Set the mower at 2.0 to 2.5 inches high. Keep the clippings on the lawn if they are short and don’t clump up.
 
Raking: It’s tough to keep the lawn free of fallen leaves, but it’s needed to prevent mold, diseases and all other king of nasties. A low-maintenance solution is to just rake them into garden beds. Or mow them in situ, bagging them at the same time. Place on garden beds for a nutritious and protective mulch.
 
Feed: Fertilize lawns with a winterizer fertilizer. Select one low in nitrogen and high in potash, the last number on fertilizer labels ex: 2-4-8.
 
Lime: If you didn’t apply lime in spring, do so now. Use Dolopril lime as it is gentler to the soil and is easier to apply than the inexpensive hydrated lime. It can cause respiratory ailments and dermatitis because it’s so fine. It’s often used because it neutralizes soil acidity quickly, however it is easy to over apply and it’s extremely caustic. Dolopril is a form of coated lime and not a fine powder. It’s gentle to the soil and its inhabitants. It’s also easy to apply and because it is slow release it doesn’t burn plants. Dolopril lime does cost more but it’s worth it.
 
Renovate & Plant: Despite the lateness of the season, there’s still time to renovate or install a new lawn by seeding or sodding, unless the ground is frozen, covered with snow or flooded It’s great to have the rain as it helps the roots to grow and combined with the cool temperatures sod and seed establish themselves quickly. Check the stores for lawn seeding kits that come with fertilizers, mulch and other goodies to make reseeding sparse areas easy. 

October Arrangement

To go to the Monthly Arrangement page click here​
October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,fall lawns,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Red drooping flowers are hardy fuchsia, purple daisies are fall asters (Michaelmas daisies), dusty pink flower clusters are Bobo hydrangea, soft pink roses are Guy de Maupassant, drooping pink flowers are Japanese anemone, Mystery Day dahlias have deep purple petals with white tips and the colourful leaves are Virginia creeper.

Plant of the month
Beautyberry
Callicarpa 


Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
The colourful berries provide food for birds during the winter.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Beautyberries form in late summer and last well into the winter.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
All callicarpas have a loose form with arching stems.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
The shiny mauve berries of the beautyberry persist after the foliage has dropped.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Flower clusters form at leaf axils, where leaves emerge.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Beautyberries do best in full sun to light shade. They become straggly in shady locations.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
American beautyberries have graceful arching stems.
Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Purple Beautyberry, Callicarpa dichotoma, is more shrubby compared to the other beautyberries.
Common Name:  beautyberry
Botanical Name: Callicarpa species
Form:   cascading stems
Family: Lamiaceae
Genus: Callicarpa
Species: numerous
Plant Type:  deciduous shrub
Mature Size: depends on variety
Growth: fast
Origin: Asia, Central America, North America
Hardiness Zone: depends on variety
Foliage: dull green, pinnate, serrated, simple leaves 1” to 3” long turn yellow in fall
Flowers: small violet, pink or white inconspicuous flowers held in clusters in the axils along stems in early summer
Fruit:  shiny violet bead-like drupes held in clusters that wrap around stems
Stems: opposite leaf arrangement
Exposure: sun to part shade, too much shade produces leggy plants
Soil: soil tolerant prefers well-drained, medium moisture.
Uses: garden borders, native gardens, informal, cottage, butterfly, bee and bird gardens, winter interest
Propagation:  softwood cuttings in spring or semi-ripe cuttings in summer
Pruning: blooms on new growth, prune back to 12 inches above the ground in late winter to early spring to promote compact growth
​Problems: scale, mildew leaf scorch but are uncommon, may die back in harsh winters, but will regrow
Cultivars: numerous, see below
Comments: 
Flowers attract bees and butterflies, the berries attract birds. Group a few together to increase cross pollination and more fruit.
 
The Callicarpa genus includes 140 species of shrubs and trees. All bear dense clusters of white, pink, red or purple flowers during the summer followed by clusters of purple, magenta coloured bead-like fruit that deepen in colour as they age. Berries persists well after the leaves have fallen for a dramatic and colourful fall and winter display.
 
Four species are used in ornamental gardens American Beautyberry C. americana, which is hardy in Zones 6 to 10. The Asian species (Callicarpa japonica, C. dichotoma, C. bodinieri are hardy in Zones 5 to 8. All species bear purple berries through fall and winter.  

  • American beautyberry (C. americana),  3’ – 6’ tall and wide Zones 6 to 10, bushy, loose and graceful arching habit.
  • Profusion beautyberry (C. bodinieri var. giraldii ‘Profusion’), a popular cultivar, Zones 5 to 8, 3’ – 4’ x 4’ – 5’, arching branches with violet purple fruits  
  • Purple beautyberry (C. dichotoma), Zones 5 to 8, 3’ – 4’ x 3’ – 5’, small, compact, rounded form with long arching branches. Small pink to lavender flowers followed by lilac violet fruit.  
  • Japanese beautyberry (C. japonica) Zones 5 to 8, 4’ – 6’ tall and wide
  • Beautyberry (C. formosana), 3 to 9 feet, China, Japan, Philippines, Taiwan, stems covered in greyish hairs, purple berries. Bristly foliage may cause irritation. Zones 8 to 10. 
Callicarpa formosana,Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Callicarpa formosana is a tender beautyberry for Zones 8 to 10.
Callicarpa formosana,Callicarpa,beautyberry,October flowers,autumn gardens,October gardens,winter garden preparation,The Garden Website.com,the garden website,Amanda’s Garden Consulting,Amanda Jarrett
Butterflies and bees love beautyberry flowers including this Callicarpa formosana.

Landscape Job Postings 

Picture
​For landscapers looking for work and landscape companies looking to hire.
If you are looking for work or if you wish to post a position please go to Job Postings. Landscapers, post your contact info here.


THE GARDEN WEBSITE INDEX


​About & Services ​                        Contact ​                         Job Postings ​              Ask Amanda                     Classes & Workshops

Learn How to Garden Introduction 
  • Planting Know How
  • Soil Building
  • Cover Crops
  • Composting
  • Compost Tea
 ​ Growing Food Introduction
  • Crop Succession, Crop Rotation, Companion Planting
​Pruning
Lawns
Container Growing 101
  • Choosing a Container
Monthly Flower Arrangements
Growing Roses Introduction 
  • Types of Roses
  • Climbing Roses
  • Rose Insects & Diseases
  • Pruning Roses
Mulching & Types Introduction
  • Living Mulches – Groundcovers​
Fertilizing & Feeding Plants Introduction
  • Fertilizers & Ratios
  • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
  • Organic Plant Food
Propagation Introduction
  • Growing Seed Outdoors
  • Growing Seed Indoors
  • Taking Cuttings
​Amanda’s Blog
Plant of the Month

for the tropical Gardener

Ornamental Tropical Shrubs,Pineapple Press,Amanda Jarrett,thegardenwebsite.com
While working in Florida as horticultural consultant, it became apparent that there was a need for a book on tropical shrubs. There are so many wonderful shrubs to choose from, so I wrote a reference book to make the selections easier. Ornamental Tropical Shrubs includes pictures in full colour and information about the plants in point form. So if you live in the tropics and subtropics and need a reference book on tropical shrubs, or you just want to have a look-see click here. 


Love plants, love to garden. ​
​Amanda's Garden Company
The Garden Website ​

Copyright 2017 The Garden Website.com, Amanda's Garden Consulting Company - All Rights Reserved

Home

 About, Services & Contact

Ask Amanda

Copyright © 2017
Photos used under Creative Commons from RichardJames1990, ashtarothpt, tone001
  • Home
  • About, Services, Contact
  • Ask Amanda
  • Roses
    • Types of Roses
    • Easy Roses
    • Climbing Roses
    • Portland's Rose Test Garden
    • Rose Insects & Diseases
    • Pruning Roses
    • Rose Sawfly
    • Rose Bloom Balling
  • Pruning Basics 101
    • Pruning Tools
    • Winter Pruning
    • Pruning Grapes
    • Pruning Clematis
    • Prune Your Own Garden Registration
  • Lawn Basics
    • Lawn Reno, Seed & Sod
    • Lawn Maintenance Schedule
    • Spring Lawn Care
    • Moss in Lawns
    • Lawn Alternatives
    • Lawn Grub Control
  • Mulch & Mulching
    • Living Mulches - Groundcovers
  • Propagation
    • Growing Seeds Outdoors
    • Growing Seeds Indoors
    • Taking Cuttings
    • Seed & Plant Catalogues
  • How to Garden Topics
    • Fall Garden Chores
    • Planting Know-How
    • Soil Building
    • Watering Tips & Techniques
    • Drought Gardening
    • Sheet Mulching, Lasagna Gardening
    • Cover Crops
    • Composting
    • Compost Tea
    • Houseplant Winter Care
    • Hummingbirds in Winter
    • Winterize Your Garden
    • Ponds in Winter
  • Growing Food
    • Spring Veggie Gardening
    • Crop Rotation, Succession & Companion Planting
    • Harvesting
    • Growing Potatoes
    • Winter Veggie Gardening
    • Taming Tomatoes
    • Speeding up Tomato Harvest
    • Tomato Tips
    • Saving Tomato Seeds
    • Tomato Troubles
  • Plant Pests 1
    • Plant Pests Part 2 - Controlling Insects
    • Garden Inspections
    • Helping Pollinators
    • Dogwood Anthracnose
    • Viburnum Leaf Beetle
    • Dormant Oil/Lime Sulfur
    • Japanese Beetles
    • Peony Blotch/Measles
    • Slugs & Snails
    • Horsetail, the Weed
    • June Beetle
    • Powdery Mildew
    • Soil Solarization
    • Rhododendron Leaf Spot
    • Plant Rusts
    • Black Knot
  • Container Growing
    • Choosing a Container
  • Feeding Plants 101
    • Fertilizers & Ratios
    • Nutritional Deficiencies & Toxicities
    • Organic Plant Food
  • Plant of the Month
    • Spring Flowering Bulbs
    • Colourful Fall Plants
    • Abelia
    • American Sweetgum
    • Ash (Fraxinus) Trees
    • Astilbes
    • Aubretia, Rock Cress
    • Aucuba, Japanese Spotted Laurel
    • Autumn Crocus
    • Bear's Breeches
    • Beautyberry, Callicarpa
    • Black-eyed Susans
    • Bleeding Heart, Lamprocapnos spectabilis
    • Calla Lilies
    • Dahlias
    • Daylily
    • Delphiniums
    • Devil's Walking Stick, Aralia spinosa
    • Dwarf Alberta Spruce
    • Dwarf Burning Bush
    • Fall Asters
    • Flowering Currants
    • Flowering Quince
    • Fritillaria
    • Garden Peonies
    • Garden Phlox
    • Ginkgo biloba
    • Grape-hyacinths
    • Handkerchief or Dove Tree
    • Harry Lauder's Walking Stick
    • Heathers
    • Hellebores, Lenten roses
    • Himalayan Sweet Box
    • Jack-in-the-pulpit, Cobra Lily
    • Japanese Anemones
    • Japanese Forest Grass
    • Japanese Maples
    • Japanese Skimmia
    • Japanese Spurge
    • Laurustinus viburnum
    • Lavenders
    • Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub, Pieris japonica
    • Mediterranean Spurge
    • Mexican Mock Orange
    • Montana Clematis
    • Mountain Ash
    • Oriental Poppies
    • Oriental Lilies
    • Paperbark Maple
    • Pink Dawn Bodnant Viburnum
    • Poinsettias
    • Oregon Grape Holly
    • Ornamental Kale
    • Peruvian Lily, Alstroemeria
    • Phalaenopsis, Moth Orchids
    • Persian Silk Tree
    • Portuguese Laurel
    • Rose of Sharon
    • Sneezeweed, Helenium
    • Snowberry
    • Snowdrops
    • Star Magnolia
    • Strawberry Tree, Pacific Madrone
    • Stewartia
    • Torch Lily, Kniphofia uvaria
    • Tree Peonies
    • Tuberous Begonias
    • Virginia Creeper
    • Weigela
    • Winterhazel, Corylopsis
    • Winter Camellia, C. sasanqua
    • Wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens
    • Witch Hazel
    • Wood Anemones
    • Yews
  • Garden Tour Blogs
  • Monthly Flower Arrangements
  • Website Index
  • Subscribe
  • Need Help?