Gardening Jobs to do this week!

  Autumn is a great time for Planting. Whether you are looking to plant bulbs for brilliant colour next spring or to add colour right now for your Winter Garden such as soft coloured winter heathers or bright cyclamens, there is so much to choose from! It's a great time for Perennial Plantings or to get your fruit garden started. If you are thinking about getting out into the garden, here are some tasks to get done this week: Plant containers for Winter Colour Many evergreen shrubs provide colour and interest all year round. Skimmia Japonica, Nandina Domestica, Leucothoe 'Zeblid', Sarcococa or Christmas Box are all great examples. Underplant with Heathers, mini Cyclamen or Violas for vibrant, colourful containers through the Winter! What are you waiting for :) Prune Tall Shrubs Tall shrubs such as Buddleja and Lavatera, which are pruned hard in the Spring should now be cut back by about half their height to tidy up their appearance, but also to prevent damage caused by strong cold Winter winds.

Image Credit

Dry Attractive Seedheads Many plants such as Acanthus Spinosus (Bear's Britches), Poppies, Eryngiums and Globe Artichokes have beautiful seed heads which can be cut and dried for decoration in the home over Winter. Cut the seed heads off with plenty of stem and hang them up in an airy place to dry. Once dry you can spray them silver or gold for some festive colour.

Image Credit

Have you any October Gardening Tips you would like to share with us? We would love to hear from you.

Marianne Caplice, Horticulturalist at Powerscourt Garden Pavilion.