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October Gardening Tips

• Plant trees, shrubs, rose bushes, and perennials. Planting now will ensure
  better survival next spring/summer and earlier growth and blooms.
• Plant fall and winter color-pansies, dianthus, snapdragons, alyssum,
  ornamental kale and cabbage, dusty miller, etc. Plant in beds or in pots on
  deck or porch.
• Plant fall veggies and herbs-broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, lettuce,
  cabbage, peas, dill, cilantro, parsley, Swiss chard, mustard greens, etc.
• Plant bulbs by the holidays. Between Halloween and Thanksgiving: crocus,
  anemones, freesia, ranunculus, alliums, lycoris, etc. Plant paperwhites in
  pots by November 11th for blooming in time for Christmas. Refrigerate
  tulips until New Year’s Day, then plant every two weeks through
  Valentine’s Day for longer bloom time.
• Replace dead grass with St. Augustine sod. Weeds will sprout in dead
  patches if you don’t. New sod will be well-established by spring. Winterize
  the lawn that you still have left. An organic, slow-release fertilizer is just
  what the grass needs to get ready for cold weather.
• Be sure to have nectar feeders or nectar plants for migrating hummingbirds
  and butterflies.
• Mulch, mulch, mulch—the mulch you applied last spring is long gone.
  Protect roots and maintain moisture while keeping weeds to a minimum with
  a 3-inch layer of the mulch of your choice—pine straw, bark mulch,
  compost, leaves.
• Compost—Add to your pile or create one. Clean out all the dead stuff from
  your garden and flower beds. Leaves are already falling—add them too.
• Move and divide perennials and roses while they are dormant or growing
  slowly. They will be ready to burst into bloom in spring.
• Plant wildflower seeds through November—bluebonnets, paintbrush,
  larkspur, etc. Also plant sweet peas seeds in November for better results in
  spring.
  
  Buchanan’s Native Plants