What to do in October in the garden
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If there was anytime to get busy in the garden, this is it. October brings cooler weather but warm soil, the perfect combination for planting most shrubs and perennials. Hold off for warmer weather to plant tropical plants for best results.
This is also a good month for transplanting and dividing plants in the wrong spot or overgrown. If daylilies or iris are showing a decline in blooms, or you simply want more, divide and replant them now. Other perennials like clivia or agapanthus can be divided to make more plants, but will bloom better with crowded roots.
Prune back late summer perennials that are finishing their bloom cycle now such as scabiosa, verbenia, rudbeckia and Mexican sage.
If shrubby perennials were not pinched cut back progressively throughout the summer, now is a good time to prune them. They will not show much growth until spring, but it will give their roots a chance to store up energy for the growing season ahead.
Most ornamental grasses are blooming now and will look good for a while, but the rainy season ahead will leave them sprawling. Watch for new growth at their base as a sign it is time to cut back the old growth and allow the nutrients and sun to go to the fresh blades.
Clean up the ground around shrubs and perennials to discourage the over wintering of insects and fungus spores. A fresh layer of mulch a few inches thick will hold the warmth in the soil and discourage weeds from germinating when the rainy season starts.