Autumn

September

Flowers

• Sow hardy annuals outside to flower for next spring.
• Deadhead roses regularly.
• Spray roses to control black spot mildew and aphids.
• Remove faded annuals and compost them.
• Water camellias regularly as they are now forming next year's flower buds.
• Dead head annuals, perennials and roses.
• Continue spraying for mildew and other fungal diseases.
• Towards the end of the month prepare to move evergreens and perennials that are growing in the wrong places.
• Clear up any fallen leaves and other dead plant material to prevent diseases over wintering and remove shelter for vine Weevils.

Fruit

• Put fruit nets on late fruiting varieties of raspberry and blackberries and remember to check regularly that they are firmly attached.
• Harvest early fruiting varieties of apple and eat immediately as they do not keep very well.
• Plant out new strawberry beds and remove runners from any new plants.
• Complete the pruning of Tay berries, loganberries raspberries and blackberries.
• Check stakes and ties on fruit trees and replace if they are worn or rotten.
• Vegetables
• Lift onions and dry them before storing them.
• Harvest plants as soon as they are ready to get maximum flavour from them.
• Cut and dry herbs for use in the winter.
• Continue to take precautions against slugs and snails.
• Regular hoeing will keep weeds down and prevent seeds being dropped on to the soil to create problems for the following year.

Lawns

• Continue to mow grass raising the height of cut in dry weather.
• Now is a good time to sow new lawns using either seed or turf.
• Stop using summer lawn food or three in one feed and weed.
• Greenhouse
• Start to water dormant cyclamen.
• Daffodils can be planted to ensure a display for Christmas.
• Ensure that all vents are working and close them on cool evenings.
• Be extra vigilant for pest and disease.

Ponds

• Continue to feed pond fish.
• Remove any blanket weed by twirling it round on a stick.
• Check filters on pumps to ensure that they are not blocked.
• Remove any plant material that has fallen in to the pond to prevent the build up of disease.
• Net the pond to prevent leaves falling in to it.

General Tasks

• Top canes with cane caps to protect eyes.
• Clean paving or slabs with an algicide.
• Use a RCD when using any electrical equipment in the garden.
• Feed the garden using a granular fertiliser like Growmore or Rose Plus.

Plants which are at their best in September

• Crocosmia
• Salvias
• Sedum herbstfreud
• aster novibelgii varieties
• Hebe autumn glory
• Schizostylus
• Gentiana
• Hemerocallis

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October

As autumn draws in on the garden October brings the last great burst of colour to the beds and borders. As the first frosts etch the garden with a silvery sheen there are still many things to be done.

Flowers

• Clear away faded summer bedding plants and plant out pansies, wallflowers and other spring bedding plants
• Dig up and store dahlia tubers and gladiolus corms
• Plant trees and shrubs since this is an ideal time for these plants to "settle in"
• Bare-root roses also establish well if planted now
• Winter and spring flowering bulbs such as daffodils, narcissi and crocuses should be planted now in the garden or patio containers

Fruit

• Apples and pears which are ripe should be picked and handled carefully prior to storage in a cool, airy position
• Blackberry, raspberry and loganberry canes that have finished cropping should be cut out and new canes can be tied in to support framework
• Check that stakes on fruit trees are secure and are not constricting growth
• Plant strawberries during the middle of the month for cropping next summer

Vegetables

• Sow cauliflower, lettuce, broad beans and peas under cloches in a sheltered spot
• Harvest and store marrows and pumpkins before the first frosts
• Potatoes, carrots and beetroots can be lifted and stored
• Provide deterrents to avoid the ravages of pigeons on brassicas
• Dig over ground as it becomes vacant

Lawns

• October is an ideal time to make new lawns from turf as the turf is unlikely to dry out and moist, warm soils aid root establishment
• Scarify established lawns to remove dead grass and spike the surface with fork or lawn aerator to help drainage
• Apply an Autumn lawn food such as 'Levington Autumn Extra' which contains Mosskiller
• Reduce mowing frequency and set the blades high. By the end of the month it will be time to stop cutting and the mower should then be serviced in preparation for next year

Greenhouse

• When frost threatens, heating may be required at night
• Water in the morning only so that the foliage does not remain wet at night
• Clean the glass both inside and out to maximise use of the winter sun. At the same time remove any greenhouse shading
• Wash pots and trays and store for use next spring
• Sow winter lettuce in the greenhouse border soil
• Ventilate the greenhouse with care in order to keep up air movement and alleviate dampness

General Tasks

• Remove fallen leaves on borders and lawn and stack to encourage them to rot down and produce leaf mould
• Re-position tender plants into a frost free environment
• Tidy up garden shed and clean and sharpen secateurs in preparation for winter pruning
• Wash pots and trays and store for use next spring
• Sow winter lettuce in the greenhouse border soil

Plants which are at their best in October

• Cyclamen hederifolium
• Parthenocissus quinquifolia
• Acer palmatum and varieties
• Amelanchier Ballerina
• Pyracantha
• Liquidamber styraciflua
• Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple'
• Rhus glabra 'Laciniata'
• Callicarpa bodinieri 'Profusion'
• Pernetya mucronata varieties

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November

Ever darkening days, wet and stormy weather, trees shedding their remaining leaves all make their mark on the penultimate month of the year. But even now there is an array of colour from the bright foliage of variegated evergreens and stems to a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs.

Tasks to complete this month are as follows;

Flowers

• Conditions on mild days are still ideal for planting:
• Later flowering spring bulbs such as lilies and tulips
• Bare-root or root balled trees, shrubs and roses
• New hedges i.e. Beech, Hawthorn, Privet, Laurel
• Dig up and divide established plants which are now overcrowded and re-plant
• Pansies, primulas and other winter/ spring bedding plants
• Prune back roses and tidy up deciduous shrubs. Both may need a further prune in February/ March

Fruit

• Harvest and store late varieties of apples and pears
• Plant new fruit trees and bushes once the ground has been dug over and manured
• Prune apple and pear trees
• Once all leaves have dropped apply a "winter wash" to control pests. We recommend 'Mortegg' which is available at all of our centres

Vegetables

• Dig over vacant ground and work in well rotted manure or compost
• Order seed catalogues
• Protect cauliflower curds by bending a few leaves over the centre
• If storing vegetables make sure that they are well spaced and dry, and if any are rotting throw them away
• Leeks and parsnips may be left in the ground until required for use

Lawns

• There is still time to apply an autumn lawn food and mosskiller
• Spike badly drained lawns to improve drainage and if not carried out previously scarify to remove dead grass
• Depending on the season and location it may still be necessary to give the lawn a final cut. If so do it on a high blade setting
• If conditions permit (not too wet or too cold) turfing can still be carried out

Greenhouse

• Water carefully to avoid leaf splash
• Control pests and diseases encouraged by warm, damp conditions
• Ventilate when possible to improve air circulation and control humidity
• Grow plants such as Chrysanthemums, Cyclamen, Azaleas, Poinsettias to provide colour in the house
• Make sure heating system is working efficiently as it will be required more and more as winter continues

General Tasks

• Continue to rake up leaves from beds, borders and out of the pond, and stack them to compost
• Provide food and water for garden birds
• Protect tender plants which cannot be moved by insulating them with straw, bracken etc.
• Drain stone fountains etc. so that freezing conditions are less likely to damage them, and service electrical pumps

Plants which are at their best in November

• Cornus (Dogwood)
• Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'
• Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'
• Viburnum tinus and varieties
• Cortaderia selloana (Pampas Grass)
• Ilex aquifolium and varieties
• Thuja 'Rheingold'
• Jasminum nudiflorum
• Mahonia (early flowering varieties)
• Aucuba japonica

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