Gardening In Perth In October

October 6, 2014 Gardening Gals Uncategorized

The weather is certainly warming up and summer is fast approaching but there is still plenty to do in the Perth garden during October.

Vegies to plant in October include – beetroot, capsicum, cucumber, lettuce, pumpkin, tomato, zucchini, carrot and sweet corn.

Flowers to plant in October include – alyssum, marigold, petunia, portulaca, salvia, cornflower, lobelia and snapdragon.

October is a great time to attend to the following tasks in the Perth garden:

• Repot orchids as soon as they have finished flowering. They need repotting every 3-4 years
• Cut stems of kangaroo paw flowers and display inside. Leave a stump 10-20cm long where a second flush of flowers will appear from dormant buds
• Ensure your irrigation system is in good working order. Clean filters, flush the drip lines, sprinklers and drippers and repair any holes
• Composting worms start to eat more food now that it is warming up. Chop up scraps finely to speed up the process
• Be sure to keep on top of couch grass and kikuyu in garden beds. These can regrow from any tiny pieces that are left in the ground
• Tomatoes should be rotated to new parts of the garden every year to reduce the chance of diseases ruining your crop
• Buddleja, tea tree, daisies, marigolds, lavender, bottle brush and grevillea are all great plants for attracting butterflies to your garden and now is a great time to plant them
• Prune native shrubs by about a third every 12 months or so to keep them compact and bushy and to stimulate new growth
• Plant native succulents such as pigface around your house as a fire retardant barrier
• Prune only the flowered stems of proteas.  Un-flowered stems are next season’s blooms
• Plant annuals now for Christmas colour. For sunny spots plant alyssum, begonia, petunia, salvia and vinca. For shade plant impatiens

Enjoy your time in your Perth garden in October.