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Gardener Ellen Mary is a TV and radio host and author of The Joy of Gardening. She presents The Plant Based Podcast where she shares her expertise.
Ellen spoke with Express.co.uk about the gardening jobs Britons should get through in October, ahead of the coldest months of the year.
“It’s all about preparing for winter and then looking forward to spring,” Ellen said.
Ellen studied horticulture through the RHS and is a vegan.
She said: “So you’ll have had most of the summer harvest.
“If you’ve got an allotment or are growing your own veg, most things like the summer stuff growing in the garden right now will all becoming to an end.
So, gardeners need to be clearing up. That’s removing kind of any old material from the garden.”
Clear away any old plants that are have finished fruiting or vegetables, that kind of thing.
Ellen recommended not cutting back every plant in the garden, however. She said: “If you leave some of your perennial flowers that have gone to seed, then that can give a garden a little bit of winter interest, and also a home for wildlife.
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“So definitely leave some seed heads on in the garden but clear up all around them.”
Another key job for the garden right now is planting spring bulbs, Emma said.
“Make sure you plant your spring bulbs,” the expert told Express.co.uk.
“October is a perfect time to plant the spring bulbs.
“So, you’ve still got time for daffodils, hyacinth, crocus, alliums.
“It’s a great time to get them in the ground as long as it’s not waterlogged.”
Another gardener, Mark Lane, gave Express.co.uk a key piece of pruning advice.
The Gardeners’ World presenter said: “I urge people, please remember brown is actually a colour within the garden that we should embrace a little bit more.”
He encourages gardeners to leave their borders during the winter, instead of pruning them back.
He has also dished his tips for how to kill slugs, or at least deter them.
Mark, a BBC presenter, explained there are “several options” when it comes to dealing with gastropods.
“The first option is tackling the mucus on the belly,” the gardening expert said.
Slugs have delicate underbellies, which can be easily damaged by rough items.
Leaving something as simple as eggshells in your soil could help keep your plants safe from the slimy creatures.
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