– Divide herbaceous perennials to keep plants healthy and to increase your stock.

-Sow hardy annuals like cornflower, pot marigold, forget-me-not, flax, larkspur, scabiosa and poppies for blooms next year.

–Plant containers with autumn and winter flowering bedding plants. Examples include aster, chrysanthemum, colchicum, cyclamen, liriope muscari, rudbeckia and winter flowering viola.

-Give any late-summer flowering shrubs such as buddleia, fuchsia, hydrangea and rock rose a prune now. You can also prune climbing and rambling roses if they have finished flowering (unless a repeat flowering variety).

-As the weather turns, it can get wetter and windier so it is important to protect and support newly planted saplings. Tree stakes and ties are ideal, or why not try using tree guards? Whilst protecting young trees, it is worth tying climbers and vines to their supports now too if you have not already done so.

-Sow kale, pak choi, mizuna and lamb’s lettuce so they will be ready to harvest in winter. Sow hardy peas and broad beans for a harvest early next year.

-Help your courgettes, pumpkins, squash and marrow to finish ripening by removing any leaves that may hide the fruits from the sun. If any fruits are touching the ground, raise them up using a piece of slate or wood to stop them rotting.

-Main crop potatoes should be ready to be lifted now. Store them in a cool, dark but well-ventilated area, ideally in a paper or hessian bag.

-To prevent birds and cabbage white butterflies from making a mess of your brassicas, protect them with a layer of netting.

-Summer prune apple trees if you haven’t already done so as this will help to promote a good yield both next year and for years to come.

-Keep an eye out for any pests that may appear in the greenhouse and garden and treat them immediately using your preferred bug control method.

-On cooler nights, you may need to shut your greenhouse vents now as the weather turns cooler.

-Keep an eye on the weather and check for early frosts. Stock up on frost fleece and/or bubble insulation now ready to protect your precious tender plants when frosts are forecast.

-Carry out essential lawn maintenance this month. Rake your lawn to remove thatch (dead, grass, roots and other organic matter that builds up on your lawn), aerate with a garden fork and re-seed any patches where there is no grass. Our article this month is about lawn care, so have a read if you haven’t already done so. Autumn in general is also an ideal time to feed your lawn with a fertiliser that is rich in phosphorus and low in nitrogen.

-Protect your pond from falling autumn leaves by covering it with a layer of netting.

-Give your bird feeders and tables a really good clean and disinfect them then refill with bird seed to give the birds something to feed on over winter.

-Tackle weeds now with a concentrated weed killer as they tend to be more vulnerable in autumn.

-Improve your soil by adding a layer of Gro Green Compost or soil improver to beds to provide more nutrients for next year. You can either lay on top of damp soil or dig it in.

-If your clay soil is very compacted, consider improving it with gypsum or horticultural grit before the soil is too wet or frozen to work with.

-Sweep your patio, driveway and paths and consider using a mould, mildew and algae treatment if required.