October in the Gardens: Blooms & Maintenance

Divide perennials on the Jubilee Walk, Blue and Yellow Border, Grey and White Garden, and George Carter Walk

Starting in October is the work of dividing the perennials (plants which survive for more than one year), most notably in the herbaceous borders and beds. If perennials are not divided by hand, they tend to naturally grow in a ring shape, leaving a gap in the centre which will impact the appearance of the display, as well as take up room which could be filled by other plants.

Dig, lift, sort and then replant the Jewel of Spring Tulips in the Italian Garden

Grading the tulips ahead of replanting is an incredibly important step in ensuring the prosperity and fullness of the spring display. You can do this at home really simply using tools most people have in their sheds. Simply take a piece of scrap wood and cut a circular hole with a circumference of 10cm which will create a diameter of 3.18cm. Any tulip bulbs that only just fit through this hole, or are a little too big, are Grade 1 and will produce the best flowers in your display. Bulbs that are a little too small and pass through easily are Grade 2, but a 10 - 12cm circumference is the ideal size.

We need around 6,400 for our Spring 2024 display, so if you notice times when our team seems absent from the gardens, it’s likely that we’re in our yard sorting through our many, many tulip bulbs!

Planting and Protecting

Before the first severe frosts arrive we’ll be making our way through the gardens and taking pre-emptive measures to protect some of our more delicate plants. The dahlias for instance will have their foliage folded back and be covered in fleece to prevent the ground around them from freezing. Any plants in your gardens that don’t have woody stems will be more susceptible to the effects of freezing temperatures, so it’s a good idea to fleece them where possible.

On the George Carter Walk, we’ll shortly be installing some plant supports we’ve created out of old barrels. Whilst the wood has long since rotted away, the metal rings can easily be repurposed, all we need to do is add a few legs around the edge of the ring first.

In the Rose Garden, we’ll be planting the first hybrid tea rose seen in the gardens for several decades. The new variety “Whiter Shade of Pale” will be replacing the “Anisley Dickson” and flowers with a beautiful white head with a blush pink centre. Reaching round 70cm in height, it will stand around halfway between the pink “Anna Livia” and the white “Macmillan”.

Soon we will begin the task of picking the apples ready for storage to be used in the Porcupine Pantry Cafe and for our hospitality events. In the meantime, please do continue to help yourselves to the windfalls on the ground around the trees.