What are the maintenance measures for garden flowers planted in the ground in October

Entering October, as the weather gradually turns colder, the maintenance and management of garden flowers planted in the ground should also be adjusted accordingly. The main management measures are as follows:

I. Transplanting

For some deciduous ornamental plants, according to local climate changes, transplanting can be done after the arrival of Frost's Descent when the leaves have fallen, such as rose of Sharon, redbud, elm-leaved spirea, pomegranate, lilac, purple-leaf plum, purple magnolia, ornamental peach, longevity peach, floribunda rose, red-leaf barberry, golden-leaf privet, etc. For some evergreen flowering shrubs, such as leatherleaf mahonia, heavenly bamboo, Chinese juniper, dragon juniper, golden-edged American arborvitae, four-season osmanthus, gardenia, large-leaf boxwood, small-leaf boxwood, sparrow's-tongue boxwood, etc., when transplanting, first, pruning back should be done before transplanting; second, soil balls should be kept intact; third, watering and misting management should be strengthened after transplanting. Garden herbaceous flowers that can be planted out include: dianthus, daisy, hollyhock, ornamental kale, pansy, pot marigold, verbena, phlox, snapdragon, autumn zephyr lily, dwarf lilyturf, reineckea, etc. Bulbous flowers that can be planted in the ground include: narcissus, pheasant's eye narcissus, tulip, hyacinth, etc.

II. Pruning

Carry out the last pruning of the year for hedges and topiary balls in the garden, requiring precision and thoroughness, with the standard being flat surfaces, straight lines, and round balls. Garden color-block and hedge plant species suitable for pruning include: golden-edged privet, red-leaf barberry, red-flowered loropetalum, golden-edged American arborvitae, golden-edged boxwood, large-leaf boxwood, small-leaf boxwood, French holly, privet, photinia, small-leaf privet, etc. Topiary balls that need pruning include: dragon juniper, boxwood, Chinese bayberry, Chinese holly, wintergreen, photinia, pittosporum, firethorn, etc. For garden flowering plants that bloom continuously, such as rose, crape myrtle, lantana, bougainvillea, etc., continue to cut off faded flowers and withered stems, and moderately prune back the branches that have bloomed. For garden herbaceous flowers, such as scarlet sage, marigold, globe amaranth, etc., promptly cut off the open inflorescences to encourage the lateral shoots to continue producing and opening flowers, thereby extending the ornamental period.

III. Watering

For garden flowers and trees newly planted this year, continue to do a good job of watering and misting: first, keep the root soil moist, but there must be no standing water; second, continue to mist the leaf surfaces. In addition, for newly planted herbaceous flowers, also do a good job of misting to maintain moisture.

IV. Fertilizing

For autumn herbaceous flowers planted in the ground in the garden, it is advisable to apply a quick-acting fertilizer balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; for osmanthus types that have already bloomed, a ring-shaped trench can be opened to bury base fertilizer; for rose, crabapple, crape myrtle, cotton rose, and camellia, michelia, plum blossom, wintersweet, etc. that have already been pruned, an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer can be buried; for heavenly bamboo, firethorn, and in the south Buddha's hand, kumquat, bitter orange, golden bullet tree, etc. that are in the fruit-viewing stage, a small amount of quick-acting phosphorus-potassium fertilizer can be appropriately applied by watering, which can effectively extend the fruit-viewing period.

V. Pest and disease control

For trunk-boring pests appearing on ground-planted plum blossom, purple-leaf plum, cherry blossom, crabapple, etc., continue to use poison sticks for control. For fallen dead branches and leaves in the garden, promptly sweep them up, gather them, and burn them. In the north, for thick large trunks in the garden, trunk whitewashing can be done at the end of the month, or lime-sulfur mixture can be applied directly to the trunks.

VI. Seed collection

Woody plant species from which seeds can be collected include: Buddhist pine, broadleaf podocarpus, soapberry, horse chestnut, purple magnolia, white magnolia, manglietia, southern magnolia, mountain magnolia, Huangshan magnolia, champaca, golden-leaf michelia, michelia maudiae, red-flowered manglietia, broad-petaled michelia, pond cypress, bamboo palm, coral ardisia, beautiful phoenix palm, Chinese fan palm, broadleaf holly, French holly, camphor, privet, small-leaf privet, Chinese snowball, hall crabapple, papaya, sago palm, ginkgo, Chinese yew, oil tea, etc. These seeds must all be stored in moist sand. Seed species that can be stored dry include: crape myrtle, Chinese tulip tree, red maple, Japanese maple, golden larch, dawn redwood, Japanese cedar, Chinese tallow, silk tree, goldenrain tree, cotton rose, southern sour jujube, redbud, camptotheca, bishop wood, five-angle maple, etc. Herbaceous flowers from which seeds can be collected include: scarlet sage, cockscomb, zinnia, globe amaranth, small dahlia, marigold, French marigold, China aster, garden balsam, four-o'clock flower, summer cypress, strawflower, cosmos, snow-on-the-mountain, painted euphorbia, sensitive plant, telegraph plant, etc.

In addition, at the end of October, for canna, dahlia, etc., when their aboveground parts are nearly withered, dig up the underground rhizomes, store them in sand indoors, keep the room temperature no lower than 5°C, and wait until next spring to cut and replant them.