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GUIDES

October

October is the month when the trees and shrubs are in all their glory as their leaves turn fiery shades of red, orange, yellow and rust.

Jobs around the Garden…

  • This is the best time to tidy up beds & borders. It’s a good idea to tackle any problems in your garden now to ensure that next year, your plot is in tip top shape!
  • Spring flowering bulbs should be planted this month as well as any winter bedding
  • Pansies, Violas & Primroses all carry beautiful petals that will add colour to your garden. Remember to dead-head them so they will continue to flower into the winter months
  • Water your plants less regularly as the weather becomes cooler & the days shorter
  • Bring potted tropical plants like bananas & brugmansias inside
  • Apply lawn feed to revive your grass
  • Clear away any old crops & vegetables to ensure they don’t harbor diseases
  • Put pots on pot feet to avoid them getting waterlogged in winter

Flowers to sow…

Sow directly outdoors to flower next year:

  • Wildflower seed mixes
  • Poppies
  • Nigella
  • Cornflowers

Flowers to plant for winter colour:

  • Violas
  • Heucheras
  • Carex
  • Brunnera
  • Hellebores
  • Primulas

Vegetables to grow…

Sow under cloches or in a greenhouse for winter crops:

  • Winter lettuce
  • Pak choi
  • Mizuna

Sow outdoors for spring crops:

  • Pea ‘Meteor’
  • Pea ‘Pilot’
  • Broad Bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’
  • Broad Bean ‘Imperial Green Longpod’

Plant out:

  • Autumn onion sets e.g. onion ‘radar’ and ‘electric red’
  • Garlic
  • Spring cabbages
  • Asparagus crowns

Wildlife Gardening in October…

  • Help birds through cold nights by giving them high energy feeds such as suet, dried meal worms & peanuts.
  • Leaving seed heads on plants, such as sunflowers & thistles, provides food for birds & insects.
  • Flowering ivy is a great source of nectar for any late-flying pollinators, such as butterflies & bees. It also provides shelter for birds & small mammals.
  • Create habitat piles from logs, twigs & leaves to help hibernators. Hibernation boxes are also great for hedgehogs!

Free tips, friendly advice and special offers

Our residents, Pip and May, are here to help!

Keep your eyes peeled for Pip and May, who are here to answer your FAQs and provide helpful gardening tips.

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Customer Comments

We love hearing from our customers. We pride ourselves on our outstanding service and it’s wonderful to hear of the experiences our customers have had whilst shopping in the garden centre. 

The Garden CentreTo Visit in Essex

We have parking spaces for up to 450 cars and easy access both onto and off of the A127, which is the main dual-carriage way into Southend-on-Sea. The A127 is off Junction 29 of the M25 which is a 10 minute drive to our door. Plan your visit to Summerhill today. We can’t wait to see you.

Summerhill Garden Centre, Pipps Hill Road North, A127 Arterial Road, Billericay, Essex CM11 2UJ