Flower garden

Buy spring-flowering bulbs now.

Tulips are best left until November. Also, we have many other bulbs to choose from: Muscari (grape hyacinths), Chionodoxa (glory of the snow), Scilla, Anemone (windflower), Crocuses as well as fantastic June flowering Alliums. See our bulb planting fact sheet for more information.

Check alpines for signs of rotting foliage.

Top up grit mulches to provide a free-draining layer between the foliage and the ground.
Despite any rain, soak evergreens thoroughly a few days before they are to be transplanted. Newly planted or transplanted evergreens, including hedges, should be regularly watered.

Complete any trimming of evergreen hedges and topiary.

Hedges trimmed in late summer may require the trimming of subsequent new shoots to tidy but trimming any later may result in frost damage to new growth.
When planting new hedges, trees and shrubs, firmly, into well-prepared holes enriched with well-rotted farmyard manure or a multi purpose compost. Work plenty of compost into each planting position and add a slow-release general fertiliser to help the plant establish.

Remove and compost summer's bedding plants.

Annuals should be composted or discarded, but you can save Marguerites, Pelargoniums and Osteospermums. Keep them in a light position in a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory.
 

This is the perfect time to lift and divide herbaceous perennials.

Replenish the soil with well-rotted farmyard manure or compost . Replant the strongest, outer pieces and water well.

Move tender plants into your conservatory or into a glasshouse before the first frosts.
Shorten any long lanky stems on shrub roses to reduce the risk of them suffering from wind rock. Floribunda roses that have finished flowering for the year may also be given the same treatment.
 

Greenhouse

Keep the greenhouse well ventilated in the daytime and carry out any watering jobs early in the day so there is not too much dampness around on cold nights. This will help to prevent fungal diseases.
Take every opportunity in dry and sunny weather to open greenhouse doors and ventilators to let the fresh air through. It is the best way to avoid mould.
Test your greenhouse heater and check that it is working before the cold weather arrives. Clean your greenhouse and disinfect the work surfaces and windows and put up insulation (rolls of bubble-wrap polythene will work well). Cover vents separately so they can still be opened during warmer, dry spells.

Kitchen garden

In well-drained soils, onion sets can be planted now.
Begin digging over and adding manure or compost to vacant parts of the vegetable garden to replenish the nutrients in the soil and prepare it for next season’s crops.
Lift root crops such as beetroots, carrots and main crop potatoes and store in vermin-proof bins (clean metal dustbins with lids will do). Make sure you remove all damaged or rotten tubers before you store them, otherwise it will spread through your crop and spoil them all.
Sow broad beans now or in the next couple of weeks, for an early crop next year. Place seeds 15cm apart and 5cm deep.
Cut out old fruited stems on cultivated blackberries and tie in the new ones that have grown during the Summer. Sever any layered tips (stems that have reached the ground and rooted) and replant elsewhere in your fruit garden.
Plant new strawberry plants into new rows. Prepare the ground using plenty of moisture-retentive compost or manure.
Prepare the soil for new fruit trees and bushes, ensuring there is adequate drainage on heavy soils.
On light, warm soils, in a sunny position, plant out cloves of garlic now, push individual cloves into the ground, 10cm apart, just covering the tips with soil. For a good crop it is important to establish the plants in the autumn.
Lift and divide perennial herbs such as mint, lemon balm and chives to increase your selection for the Spring.

General care

Ensure there is netting over ponds to prevent leaves falling in and contaminating the water when they rot at the bottom. This makes it more difficult to keep the water clear and affects fish & pond wildlife.

Worm casts become an ideal seedbed for weeds when walked into the grass. During dry weather, break and disperse casts with a broom or course brush so the fine, scattered soil can be washed back into the ground.

Carry out lawn repairs during frost-free weather. Make any late cuts of the lawn a little longer than usual, between 1-2in, to strengthen the grass for winter. Choose a dry and preferably windy day, and make sure all the clippings are boxed or raked off now to reduce the risk of disease. See our Autumn lawn care fact sheet for more information.

Gather fallen leaves regularly. If you do not have a compost heap, put damp leaves into bin-liners and store for eight-12 months. The resulting leaf mould makes a fantastic mulch or compost.

Check ties on recently planted young trees to see if they have become tight and restrictive. Trees generally increase the girth of their stems in late Summer and tight tree ties will cause damage to the bark and should be ever so slightly loose on the stem.