The Garden Is Winding Down—but I’m Not Done Yet

October Garden Checklist: Hydrangeas, Peonies, Dahlias, Fall Pots, Bulbs & More

October is one of those months when the garden starts changing almost daily. Some flowers are still hanging on, the hydrangeas have taken on those beautiful muted fall colors, dahlias are putting on their final show, and the first cold nights are reminding me that winter really isn’t that far away.

But I’m definitely not finished outside yet. I’ve already updated my flower pots for fall, swapping some of the tired summer annuals for seasonal color, and this month I’ll also be planting spring-blooming bulbs. October is really the bridge between enjoying the last of this year’s garden and quietly preparing for the one we’ll have next spring.

And there are a few things worth doing now—and a few things worth leaving alone.

My October Garden Checklist

1. Cut Hydrangeas for Drying—but Be Careful About Pruning

This is one of my favorite times of year for hydrangeas. By October, many of the blooms have naturally faded from their brighter summer colors into the soft greens, blushes, mauves and antique shades that are perfect for bringing indoors.

If your hydrangeas have that slightly papery feel, this is a great time to cut a few for arrangements or wreaths. You can see exactly how I choose, cut and preserve mine in my How to Dry Hydrangeas for Fall Decor guide. I also share a few ways I use the dried blooms around the house once they’re finished.

One thing I don’t do is automatically give all of my hydrangeas a big fall haircut. Bigleaf and oakleaf hydrangeas generally bloom on old wood, which means next year’s flower buds may already be developing on the stems. Cutting them back in fall can mean accidentally cutting off next summer’s flowers.

For October, I mostly remove damaged or obviously dead branches and otherwise let the plant rest. Save major pruning until you know exactly which type of hydrangea you have.

2. Cut Back Peonies—and Divide or Transplant if Needed

Once peony foliage begins to yellow, brown or die back after frost, it’s time to clean it up.

I cut herbaceous peonies down close to the ground and remove the old foliage from the garden rather than leaving it around the crown. This is especially important if the leaves showed signs of fungal disease during the summer.

Fall is also one of the best times to move or divide an established peony. I recently divided and transplanted mine and walked through the entire process—including how to find the eyes, where to divide the crown and how deep to replant it—in my How to Divide and Transplant Peonies guide.

One of the most important things with peonies is not planting them too deeply. The eyes should sit only about 1–2 inches below the soil surface in colder climates. Too deep and you may end up with a beautiful green peony that refuses to flower.

3. Enjoy the Dahlias Until Frost

October can actually be one of the prettiest months for dahlias, so I’m not rushing these out of the garden. Keep cutting flowers and removing spent blooms while the plants are still producing. Cooler fall weather can give you some gorgeous late-season flowers.

Once frost blackens the foliage, however, it’s time to think about winter. In climates where dahlias aren’t reliably winter hardy, cut the stems back and carefully lift the tubers before the ground freezes. Let them dry before storing them somewhere cool, dark and frost-free for winter.

If you live in a warmer climate, you may be able to leave them in the ground with protection, but in colder areas I would rather lift them than take the chance of losing them.

4. Decide What to Do With Your Annuals

I don’t pull every annual simply because the calendar says October. If my flowers still look good, they stay. Petunias, geraniums, begonias and other annuals can continue blooming surprisingly late when the weather cooperates. Keep watering and removing spent flowers until frost finally finishes them.

Once plants are frost-damaged, remove them from beds and containers. Healthy plant material can go into the compost; anything that looks diseased is better discarded. This is also the perfect time to clean out tired containers and transition them for fall.

5. Refresh Flower Pots for Fall

My flower pots have already had their fall update, and it makes such a difference around the porch and patio once the summer containers start looking tired.

Fall containers don’t necessarily need dozens of flowers. I like mixing seasonal plants and texture—ornamental cabbage or kale, grasses, trailing greenery, pumpkins and branches can completely change the look. And because many of the containers themselves stay outside year-round, I’m really just changing the layers with the season.

6. Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs

This is one of the most important October garden jobs because the work you do now becomes your spring garden. Tulips, daffodils, alliums, crocus, hyacinths, muscari and other spring-flowering bulbs need time to establish roots and go through a period of winter chilling before they bloom.

The best planting date depends more on your climate and soil temperature than on one specific calendar date. Ideally, plant about four to six weeks before the ground freezes.

General Fall Bulb Planting Guide by USDA Zone

USDA Zone	Approximate Planting Window
Zones 3-4	September through early October
Zone 5	Late September through October
Zone 6	October through early November
Zone 7	October through November
Zone 8	November through December
Zones 9-10	December through January; some bulbs may require pre-chilling

These are general windows, so watch your local weather. You want the soil cool enough that the bulbs aren’t encouraged to send up lots of top growth, but not frozen.

Here in the Mid-Atlantic, October is a wonderful time to get spring bulbs into the ground. As a general rule, plant most bulbs about two to three times as deep as the height of the bulb, with the pointed side facing up. Water after planting to settle the soil around them.

*Living Layered Tip: Plant bulbs in clusters and drifts rather than scattering single bulbs everywhere. Groups of the same flower or color usually make a much bigger impact when spring arrives. I also like mixing bulbs with different bloom times—early crocus and daffodils, midseason tulips and hyacinths, and later tulips and alliums—so everything doesn’t bloom at once.

Where I Buy My Bulbs

When I’m buying spring bulbs, I like to order from DutchGrown, a family-run company with roots in the Netherlands that specializes in flower bulbs grown in Holland. They carry a huge selection of tulips, daffodils, alliums, crocus, hyacinths and some more unusual varieties, and they ship directly to gardeners throughout the contiguous U.S. Their fall-planted bulbs begin shipping in early October, timed for planting season.  You can browse and order at DutchGrown.com⁠. You can also read about my trip to Keukenhof Gardens near Amsterdam in my Netherlands Travel Guide, and see why this became one of my favorite spring destinations, and why their bulbs are so good!

I’ve also found some really good bulb assortments at my local Costco, especially larger bags of tulips, daffodils and mixed spring bulbs, so that’s another place I always check before planting season gets too far along.

7. Keep Watering Newly Planted Trees, Shrubs and Perennials

Cooler weather can make us forget about watering, but newly planted trees, shrubs and perennials still need moisture while they establish their roots. Continue watering during dry periods until the ground begins to freeze. Established plants generally need less attention, but anything you planted this season deserves a little extra help heading into its first winter.

8. Clean Up Diseased Plant Material—but Don’t Strip the Whole Garden

I used to think fall garden cleanup meant cutting absolutely everything down. It doesn’t. Remove diseased foliage, rotting plants and anything that could potentially harbor problems for next year. But healthy perennial stems and seed heads can often stay.

Coneflowers, ornamental grasses and other seed-producing plants can provide winter interest and food or shelter for birds and beneficial insects, so I don’t trim these down till spring. Plus, I actually love the way some of these plants look covered in frost or snow.

9. Keep Weeding

Not glamorous—but worth doing. Pulling weeds now means fewer weeds dropping seeds into your garden beds and fewer surprises next spring. I especially try to remove anything with visible seed heads before they have a chance to spread.

10. Use Those Fall Leaves

Leaves don’t necessarily have to be bagged and hauled away. Shredded leaves make wonderful organic material for garden beds and compost piles. Run them over with the mower first so they break down more quickly, then use a light layer around plants or add them to your compost. A heavy mat of whole wet leaves can smother grass and smaller plants, so shredding makes a big difference.

11. Add Mulch—But Don’t Pile It Against Plants

Once the garden begins going dormant, check your mulch. A fresh layer helps insulate roots, moderate soil temperatures and hold moisture through winter. Just avoid piling mulch directly against tree trunks, shrub stems or perennial crowns. Think blanket—not volcano.

12. Take Notes Before You Forget

This might be one of the most useful things I do in fall. Walk around the garden with your phone and take pictures. What worked? What got too big? Where was there an empty spot? Which plants do you want more of next year? Where could you add spring bulbs?

By February, I promise you will not remember nearly as much as you think you will. I use fall photos almost like a garden planning notebook for the following season.

13. Harvest Herbs and Produce Before Frost

October is also the month when I start watching the nighttime temperatures a little more closely. Some herbs and vegetables can handle cool weather beautifully, while others need to be harvested before the first real frost.

• For herbs: Tender herbs like basil are usually the first to go once temperatures drop, so harvest them before frost. Use them fresh, freeze them, or make pesto to save for later. Parsley, cilantro, chives, sage and thyme can tolerate cooler weather, and many will keep producing well into fall. Rosemary can handle cool temperatures, but in colder climates it usually needs to be brought indoors or protected before a hard freeze. Perennial herbs like thyme, sage, oregano and chives generally don’t need to be cut all the way back in fall. I prefer to harvest what I need, clean out anything dead or diseased, and let the plants settle in for winter.
• For vegetables and produce: Pick warm-season crops like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and summer squash before a hard frost. Green tomatoes can still ripen indoors, so don’t give up on them if cold weather arrives early. Winter squash and pumpkins should be harvested once the skins are firm and the vines begin dying back. Leave a few inches of stem attached and allow them to cure before storing. Cool-season vegetables—including kale, spinach, Swiss chard, carrots, beets, broccoli and Brussels sprouts—often taste even better after a little cold weather. Carrots and other root vegetables can stay in the ground longer if the soil hasn’t frozen, especially with a layer of mulch for protection.

Once plants are finished producing, remove old vegetable plants from the garden. Healthy material can go into the compost, but anything showing signs of disease or pests should be discarded instead.

*Living Layered Tip: Before pulling everything out, make a quick note of what grew well, what you planted too much of, and what you wish you’d planted more of. Those little notes are incredibly helpful when it’s time to plan next year’s garden.

Before You Head Inside for Winter…

October gardening feels a little different from spring gardening. Instead of rushing outside to plant everything, I find myself slowing down, cutting a few last flowers, changing the pots for fall and thinking ahead to what I want the garden to look like next year. There’s still plenty to do—but there’s also something nice about allowing parts of the garden to simply finish their season.

This month I’ll be planting bulbs, finishing up my peonies and hydrangeas, enjoying every last dahlia bloom I can get and slowly putting the garden to bed. And then comes the fun part—waiting to see everything we planted this fall begin popping through the soil next spring. I will also be freezing the last of my herbs, fruits and veggies to use throughout the year. For more ideas on how to use your garden herbs, fruits and veggies year round, read my Complete Guide to Preserving your Garden Harvest.

What are you working on in your garden this month? Leave a comment and tell me what zone you garden in, what bulbs you’re planting, or what you’re already planning for next year.