October in the Garden
A gorgeous fall bouquet from Arnosky Farms in Blanco, Texas
After an extremely hot summer with little rain, our gardens here in Central Texas are bouncing back with occasional rainfall and cooler temperatures. Rain lilies are blanketing the open spaces around our city. In our area, we experience a short second spring in the fall, with flowers blooming again before we experience our first average frost date in mid-to-late November.
I read recently that the quality of light in fall right now is similar to that of early April, which means we shouldn’t expect huge amounts of growth at this time of year, but flowers may bloom, roots will grow, and a few new leaves might emerge before winter sets in. Our fall and spring growing seasons are short here in Central Texas, and our winters can be tricky as we bounce between temperatures in the 30s one day to the 70s the following day.
Fall is when I begin planting native plants to establish healthy root systems during winter to prepare for spring growth (and summer heat!). Our growing zone is 8b, which means our last frost date is March 18, and we begin experiencing severe heat by June. All but the most tropical and heat-tolerant plants often stop growing or struggle during the hottest summer months. Native plants need water and care as they establish. Still, many are maintenance-free other than supplemental water in the hottest months and a good pruning in January or February to encourage spring growth.
Always one to experiment, this month I planted two lilac plants in our garden. Usually, lilacs don’t grow well in our area, but I found two varieties (Scentara Puraand Baby Kim from Proven Winners) that are able to grow in zone 8. I’m also trying out a new variety of Japanese anemones in our birdbath garden bed called ‘Dreaming Swan’ and planted a Pomegranate ‘Wonderful’ tree outside our bedroom window.
This week, the fall asters, Texas betony, and mistflower started blooming, ready to welcome the Monarchs and other butterflies making their way through Central Texas. I visited the Austin Organic Gardening Association’s fundraiser sale at Zilker Botanical Gardens and the Fall Native Plant Sale at The Wildflower Center to pick up a few native and adapted plants to add to our collection. (Watch What are Native, Adapted, and Hybrid Plants? to learn the difference)
I hope you enjoy this tour of our October garden.
Plants featured in this season’s video:
‘Grandpa Ott’s’ Morning Glories, ‘Autumn Touch’ Amaranth, Echinacea, Texas Betony, Frostweed, Turk’s Cap, Calamondin Tree, Gregg’s Mistflower, Shrubby Boneset, Blue Daze, Coral Nymph Tropical Sage, Blackfoot Daisy, Rudbeckia, Marigold, Flame Acanthus, ‘Sparky’ Sunflower, Catmint, Salmon Nasturtium, ‘Texas Plume Vintage Rose’ Celosia, Texas Bluebonnet, Fall Aster, ‘Queen Lime Blush’ Zinnia, Yarrow, Maximillian Sunflower, Thai Jicama, Uptick Gold & Bronze Coreopsis, Wright’s Ground Cherries, and White Milkweed.
A few other native plants (not featured in the video) that we added to our garden this fall: Weeping Cherry Barbados, ‘Maypop’ Passionvine, Apache Plume, Pigeonberry, Senna, Texas Persimmon, ‘Antelope Horn’ Milkweed, and Fall Obedient Plant
The Wildflower Center Plant Database
October Gardening Ideas
Scatter wildflower seeds. I love the mixes from Native American Seed. We purchase the Shade Friendly Wildflower Mix at The Natural Gardener or Barton Springs Nursery.
Plant poppy seeds. We’re trying a few new varieties this year, including: ‘Sherbert Mix’ Iceland Poppy, ‘Breadseed Rattle’ Poppy, ‘Thai Silk Appleblossom Chiffon’ California Poppy, ‘Champagne Bubbles White’ Iceland Poppy, ‘Pastel Meadows’ Iceland Poppy, and ‘Supreme’ Shirley Poppy (all from Floret Farms). Why plant poppy seeds in the fall? Poppy seeds need to experience cold temperatures to germinate.
Start seeds for a winter harvest. Direct seed veggies like carrots and beets and start them in an area you can protect from harsh weather until they are established. Check out the video below from Central Texas Gardener to get you started.
Plant a few herb and winter veggie transplants to get a jump on the season. Once your veggies are ready to harvest, it’s best to harvest them in the morning for optimal sweetness. Many veggies taste best after a frost, so it can be helpful to do a little research on the variety you’re planting.
Leave flower heads on late summer flowers so that birds like finches can enjoy the seeds (or collect a few to store and use next year), and let the zinnias and other flowering plants have center stage for a few more weeks while the butterflies stop by to enjoy them as they migrate through.
Plant strawberries to overwinter.
Ensure rue plants are healthy or plant new rue plants. We’ve had many swallowtail butterfly visitors and caterpillars crawling all over our rue plants this year. I’ve also seen quite a few butterflies laying eggs on our passion fruit vine. If you don’t already have passion fruit vine planted, give it a try this year. There are so many beautiful varieties.
Take down hummingbird feeders to encourage hummingbirds to visit blooming flowers in your garden, and if you live in a warm climate, take out or cut down tropical milkweed (more on tropical milkweed here).
Clean out any birdbaths, fill them with fresh water, and refill any bird feeders you might have in the garden.
Fertilize citrus trees and any fruiting or flowering plants for the fall or top-dress with compost where needed in beds that have been depleted during the summer growing season. I’m trying the Lone Star Nursery Fruit/Flower/Flourish Fertilizer this fall.
Take care of any tree trimming. It is the beginning of the approved time to prune oak trees (October-late January) to prevent oak wilt.
Create fall planters for your home. I’m working on a few ideas for front porch planters after some inspiration from Laura in the Garden Answer video below.
https://youtu.be/cORrlyrCzs4
Use the Seek app to identify what native plants are growing in your area on your next walk or hike, and then pick them up at a local nursery or native plant sale.
Order seeds for spring. I ordered my flower seeds from Floret Farms (they had an early seed sale this year, and they are often gone within hours or days after going on sale). After seeing the celosia swaying in the window outside our breakfast table window, I decided to order more for next year. The celosia looks beautiful right now, adding movement and fall color to the garden as the autumn breezes roll in.
Find a few garlic (softneck varieties are best for Central Texas - Hardneck vs. Softneck) and onion varieties to plant. I’m trying shallots this year and getting those into the ground as soon as I’m able to locate them at our local garden nurseries.
Decide on and purchase any bulbs that need to be stored in the fridge for spring or planted in the garden before winter. I have a few anemone corms like this Fullstar Red-White variety that need to be soaked and planted now so that they have time to establish before spring.
Check out more October gardening tips from The Natural Gardener
What is blooming and growing in your garden? What is on your gardening to-do list? Share with us in the comments below.
Have you seen Thomas Danbo’s sculptures? I think they’re magical! I’ve heard that a local park here in Austin is considering commissioning his work. My fingers are crossed!
My pre-order for Something, Someday by Amanda Gorman and Christian Robinson showed up in our mailbox this month. The book’s message shares the same sentiment as a quotation that I have always loved. We can make a difference even when it seems small. Small actions create momentum. I like to compare this idea to the adage about planting a tree. We may never enjoy the shade of the tree we plant, but future generations will.
“Do your little bit of good where you are. It’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” -Desmond Tutu
Christian Robinson’s collage art has always warmed my heart, and when his charming illustrations are paired with Amanda Gorman’s writing, the collaboration inspires readers to create a better world.
See you next week with a post all about pollinators for Nature’s Seasons. Enjoy your weekend!