October in the UK is towards the end of the season, but instead of just packing up and planting bulbs, these 5 great plants can keep your sales motivated, and enable you to finish the season with a bang, not a whimper.
Heather James Chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums may be associated with Garage forecourts, but they are wonderful flowers for the end of the season and there are some great Autumnal colours that can be grown. While varieties can flower from August onwards, if you choose Mid or late season varieties they are great for coming into flower in October when other flowers are starting to run down. This one is Heather James, and it’s really hardy, often shaking off the first frosts, on it’s unopened buds, and flowering afterwards. Regal red and purple varieties always flower in the first couple of weeks of October for me in Surrey, and the end of the month is good for a great wedding flower Avignon Pink.
Hesperanthera
In October, the Focal flowers are taken care of with Dahlias and Chrysanthemums but it’s the fillers that are running out of ompfh with the zinnias and rudbeckias not liking any morning mist. Hesperanthera in it’s salmon red and pink is great as a burst of colour
Verbena Bonarienses
Verbena Bonariensis is a perennial, and if it’s in it’s 2nd or later year of growth, it will start flowering from late July. BUT, if you sow some new each year, then it will flower in it’s first season in October, and provide you with a great set of fresh flowers in for the end of the season.
Miscanthus Zebrinus
Miscanthus and Pampus plumes are wonderful for the end of the season and are great either fresh or dried. - Please note, they are never easy to take photos of!
Nerine
The last of the late season suggestions is Nerine. These bulbs will flower year after year at the end of the season in warm sunny conditions. Situate them against a wall, and you can leave them alone, and they’ll surprise you with pink blooms when everything else is finishing up.
Obviously there is no point having these extra stems in October, if you haven’t got sales at this time of year, but our The Business of Growing Flowers members are busy working out which markets they are going to be selling to in and what new crops they need to plan. Will these late season blooms be on your list?