Tulips and daffodils are easy to incorporate for a sweet welcome to spring. Their pop-up show of color lasts for weeks. Paired with other spring-flowering bulbs, the rolling arrangement is a dynamic succession of blooms. Leafy perennials soften the landing as bulbs fade. Garden expert Katherine Rowe highlights top companions to plant with tulips and daffodils for lasting landscape value.
With heavy frost settling in across cold climate zones, the harvest winds down and the garden prepares for winter. As nature does most of the work for us, a few garden tasks this month set the foundation for healthy overwintering while enjoying the remaining bounty of the season.
October is a time of transition as a warm start gives way to shorter days, chilly nights, and frosty conditions for many growing areas. With quick and cold-tolerant crops, the kitchen garden keeps producing this month. The right selections yield sweet rewards, even with frost.
Versatile across growing zones and garden spaces, hostas are ready to fill the role of top shade performer. Their dynamic foliage and durable nature make them handsome, easy-care, and long-lived perennials. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores award-winning and top-performing hosta varieties to plant in October.
October lets us relish the heart of fall in zones 6 and 7, with zone 8 warmth lingering a little longer. Mild days, cool nights, and shorter daylengths trigger seasonal change. With frost right around the corner, garden accomplishments now prepare for healthy overwintering. The garden checklist this month also includes enjoying the easy beauty and harvests that fall brings.
It’s rewarding to plant a vegetable once and have it supply multiple seasons of harvests. No turnover, and easy picking! Some of our favorite perennial vegetables do best with a fall sowing, depending on the climate and selection. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe outlines reliable perennial vegetables to plant in October for lasting yields.
Fall is prime for planting bulbs in containers for a cheerful welcome to spring. It’s also the time to force bulbs for holiday displays and gifts. With easy planting in endless combinations, the nearly effortless arrangements bring a big show.
Garden mums are easy-care perennials with a big show in the fall. They bring seasonal color and support for pollinators as summer transitions to cooler weather. For years of performance, planting the best selection at the right time and in the right spot yields nearly effortless rewards.
Early and late fall bring respective pruning duties, from deadheading to cutback, for our flowerbeds. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores the differences between deadheading and pruning, as well as the timing and reasons behind both this season.
Brussels sprouts, in their little nutrient-dense packages, are gifts from the cool-season garden. Sweetening in cold temperatures, harvesting them small and after frost (even in snow) brings peak flavor. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores how to promote plump buds more quickly with simple pinching.
Hostas are hardy perennials that illuminate shady areas with their structural, multi-toned foliage. Long-lived, the tough plants need little maintenance to thrive. Part of their best care is promoting winter-readiness, including pruning at the right time. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores when to cut back hostas for seasons of recurrent interest.
’Deflt Blue’ hyacinths, with their award-winning performance, are ready to give a sweet welcome to spring. With fall planting, the easy-care bulbs have few requirements for their big show. Gardening expert Katherine Rowe explores the favorite cultivar to install this season for blue shades and a sweet fragrance come spring.