The Flower Garden
- Plant tulip bulbs in groups to make drifts of spring colour
- After first frosts, lift and store dahlia tubers or leave in the ground but mulch heavily
- Plant evergreen shrubs and conifers, including new hedges
- Lift tender cannas to avoid frost damage, and overwinter tubers in cool dark conditions
- Plant out spring bedding
- Sow hardy annuals in cleared areas for early flowers next summer
- Sow sweet peas in pots, and overwinter under cover
- Prune back standard roses to help prevent wind rock damaging the plants
- Take hardwood cuttings from cornus, ribes, salix and roses
- Plant up tubs and baskets with evergreens for autumn and winter interest
The Fruit and Vegetable Garden
- Pick ripe apples and pears
- Finish harvesting marrows, squashes, onions and potatoes
- Sow broad beans and hardy peas
- Plant out garlic cloves
- Earth up leeks to cover and blanch their stems
- Cut away fruited blackberry canes at soil level and tie in new ones
- Plant new fruit trees and bushes
- Tidy strawberry beds, cutting back old foliage and congested runners and removing weeds
- Pot up a few roots of mint and bring under cover for winter pickings
- Improve soil, digging over bare ground and forking in bulky, well-rotted manure
In The Greenhouse
- Wash greenhouse glazing to let in maximum light
- Bring potted cordylines under cover for winter
- Insulate your greenhouse with bubble polythene
- Maintain plant hygiene, picking off faded blooms and dead leaves from all plants
- Water plants more sparingly now conditions are turning cooler
- Check heaters are working properly
- Use an electric propagator to encourage rooting on late cuttings
- Plant hyacinths and daffodils for indoor displays
- Keep good air circulation around potted chrysanthemums to avoid mildew
- Lift chicory roots, cut the tops off and pot them up, then place in the dark to blanch
Around The Garden
- Collect and compost autumn leaves
- Cut back suckers growing around the base of trees
- Visit garden centres to choose bulbs and bedding for spring displays
- Mow lawns less frequently now grass growth is slowing down
- Complete new lawn laying projects during autumn
- Improve soil in borders in preparation for autumn planting, digging it over and adding compost
- Remove and clean pumps from ponds
- Take hardwood cuttings from shrubs and fruit bushes
- Spike lawns and brush sharp sand or grit into the holes to improve drainage
- Get hold of stable or farmyard manure to dig into your soil over winter
Cannas at Wisley
