October already – where has the summer gone?! The month of pumpkin heads and apple bobbing, the first fires in the house and the lovely cosying down with jumpers on and slippers!

Now is a good time to plant wallflowers, which will fill gaps through the winter with foliage and give scent and colour in the spring. They come into flower from mid-April through to mid-May and make a colourful partner for tulips.

Cyclamen will increase year on year if left alone

There will be many Cyclamen in garden centres now and it makes life easier to plant them whilst in full flower, as you can place them to look their best. Cyclamen hederifolium is a lovely autumn flowering variety – it likes a shady spot and will increase year on year if left alone.

October is a good time to do any re-turfing that you may need whilst the soil is moist and warm. Our lawns took a battering in the summer with the drought, but it doesn’t take long for them to bounce back again with the right care.

Fruit storage

Store unblemished apples in waxed cardboard trays if you can obtain them from the greengrocer or supermarket. These keep the fruit apart to stop any rot spreading. Put apples in the box with the stalk downwards, which is its widest base, to stop them rolling about. Put them in a cool, ventilated location like a garage where the temperature doesn’t fluctuate and check regularly for rot or vermin!

Any bruised fruit needs using quickly, or put into the freezer once peeled and sliced ready for pies or crumbles. Apparently, if you shake a Cox’s apple before you eat it you can hear the pips rattle if it is ripe!

Hard frosts are good for rhubarb plants

When the foliage and stalks have died back you can remove all the old leaves and expose the crown of rhubarb to the open air. Rhubarb needs a cold environment, so it is good if we have a hard frost or two.

Pot up some roots of mint to grow under glass so that you have fresh mint in the winter.

Order your bare-rooted roses now from specialist nurseries to plant in the new year. Planting the roses with bare roots whilst they are asleep for the winter gives them a really good start and they are much cheaper to purchase at this time of year.