Now is the time to plant out any perennials or spring flowering plants for next year, whilst the soil is still warm. Don’t forget to stock up on spring flowering bulbs now, plant layered in pots or in your garden for beautiful spring colour next year.
- We would recommend dividing up the perennials in your garden to encourage better flowering in spring. Dividing can be done by splitting at the roots, just be careful not to cause too much damage to the roots. Take a firm but gentle approach.
- Consider giving hedges and topiary a final cut before the winter to keep them crisp and tidier over the colder months.
- Harvest fruit trees particularly apple and pear crops as they should be ripe for the picking. Apples can be stored in boxes with newspaper between to be used later in the year. Beets are perfect to store for the months to come in boxes layered with damp compost or sand.
- Move non-hardy plants such as non-hardy fuchsia or geraniums under glass cover or into a greenhouse to better protect against the winter weather.
- Take some time to tidy your garden and don’t neglect the compost heap. Turn to improve aeration and don’t forget that autumn provides an abundance of extra plant material to keep your compost going!
- Plant winter vegetables now, ready for early spring or later in the year. Particularly chard, winter cabbage, winter onions and spinach.
- Collect ripe seeds from your favourite flowers and store in labelled envelopes, ready to sow in spring.
- Plant up containers for autumn interest, using cyclamen, heathers, heucheras, hellebores, evergreen ferns and other colourful bedding plants
- Bring any houseplants that you moved outside over summer back indoors, before temperatures start to drop.
- Fill any gaps with late-flowering perennials, such as sedums, to provide nectar for pollinating insects into autumn.
- Plant prepared hyacinth bulbs in pots or hyacinth glasses, for fragrant indoor flowers at Christmas. You can also plant Narcissus ‘Paperwhite’ in ornamental pots now to be able to bring in doors at Christmas for a stunning flower display.
- Rake thatch from lawns, aerate well-trodden areas by spiking with a garden fork, and re-seed bare patches.
- Clean out water butts and check downpipe fittings in preparation for autumn rains.
- Wash and disinfect bird feeders and tables to maintain hygiene.