Unlike with our children, we are allowed to have favourite months. And whilst like everyone I love the fresh, green growth of spring and bright colours of summer, I must confess to having a soft spot for October. Through September, despite increasingly damp mornings and chilly evenings, we can cling to the idea that summer goes on although we are frequently disappointed. October is a very honest month, a month of transition where the fruits of the labours of people and nature mark not just the end of a growth cycle, but the start of the next. Fruit, berries, nuts: these are not only a rich harvest for the gardener and wildlife but literally the seeds of next year’s plants. And those plants may mature and flower in a single year or take decades to grow, like an oak tree from an acorn.

The October garden provides a visual as well as a literal feast for the gardener as leaves turn red, yellow or orange encouraged by colder temperatures and autumn sunshine.  The falling leaves, though leaving our gardens stark, reveal the architectural and structural shapes of trees and shrubs. This process too is circular, where the trees reclaim useful nutrients and the dead husk of the leaf falls to the ground and itself then turns into a new generation of soil. Imagine walking through deciduous woodland and feeling that spongy, rich, dark, moisture-retentive mulch over the ground. That layer is years’ worth of broken down leaves and we too can create leaf mould in our gardens to enrich the beds and borders. By the way, if you have loads of leaves to collect you can rot them down separately but if you only have a few, mix them in with the compost where they provide a good carbon balance to the leafy, nitrogen-rich material.

Small trees and shrubs in a garden not only add structure and privacy but are great for wildlife, seeing the birds feeding on fruit and berries direct from the plant as nature intends, instead of having to load up a bird feeder.  Later in the month as plants begin to die back and thin out we can see spaces to fit in some new plants.  Older plants may be less floriferous and benefit from dividing and replanting, again creating more space. And we might also fill gaps in the seasonal display so autumn is as colourful as summer.  This is almost the only time when I suggest visiting a nursery or a garden centre to look at what is in putting on a great show right now and buy it. Autumn is a very important planting time, whilst the soil is still warm but contains moisture for the roots to start to grow without check.  There is a good month of growing time before those new additions go dormant for the winter.

Wander around your neighbourhood or visit gardens which are open specifically for autumn colour to identify potential additions to your garden.  These do not have to be rare or exotic. One of the best berrying shrubs still has to be Pyracantha, superb as a hedge, not so good for planting next to your front door because it is notoriously thorny.  Look for cultivars with orange or yellow berries as well as the well-known red. Alternatively the Guelder Rose, Viburnum opulus, is garden-worthy and native to the UK.  Creamy white flowers in spring, translucent red berries in the autumn when the leaves have a rather purplish tinge. For more dramatic autumn colour if you have quite a large space it’s hard to beat a Liquidambar, leaves shaped like an Acer but bigger, turning bright red before they fall. In a smaller space, Nyssa sinensis, not so well known, but with chestnut orange autumn foliage is definitely worth looking out for. All in all October is a month of plenty and of renewal in the garden. What is not to love, even if it can be a bit wet.

Happy Gardening from Alison