Mzzz B's Garden Jobs for the Autumn

Rose: Shropshire Lad, Diascia, hardy geraniumsm, sedum

Salvia, Cosmos, hardy fuschia, white lychnis coronaria

Asters, Phlox and perennial white ageratum

Having just come back from a fortnight away I was really pleased to see how much colour there was in the garden. The asters, salvias and phlox are providing the background to annuals like Cosmos which are now very tall! If you want to keep your garden going until the frosts then think about planting late flowering perennials- their growing leaves through the summer also provide a backbone to the border.
Now is a busy time before the winter sets in:
Jobs for the autumn.

• Collect ripe seeds from your favourite flowers, store in labelled envelopes, ready to sow in spring
• Plant up containers for autumn interest, using cyclamen, heathers, heucheras and other colourful bedding plants Also try hardy ferns as they are happy in the low light of winter.
• Lift, divide and replant congested clumps of perennials, such as achilleas, once they finish flowering
• Apply vine weevil control to pots if plants show the tell-tale sign of notched leaf margins
• Plant spring bulbs in autumn, including crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, in pots and borders
• Take cuttings from fuchsias, salvias and pelargoniums
• Keep summer bedding flowering in pots until the first frosts by deadheading and feeding regularly
• Prune out all the fruited canes of summer raspberries, cutting down to the base, and tie in new canes to supports
• Pot up herbs, such as chives and parsley, and place on a sunny windowsill to use during winter
• Plant shallot and onion sets in a sunny spot, 10cm apart, with the tip just showing above the soil
• Cut away any leaves covering the fruits of pumpkins, squash and marrows to help the skins ripen in the sun
• Pick apples and pears before the wind blows them down, and store undamaged fruits if you can't eat them fresh
• Lift maincrop potatoes, dry off and store in hessian or paper sacks, in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place
• Complete summer pruning of both free-standing and trained apple trees, to encourage good fruiting in future years
• Rake thatch from lawns, scarify 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
• Collect fallen leaves to store in a leaf mould bin made of chicken-wire or bin bags to make leaf mould
• Hunt for rosemary beetles on lavender and rosemary, picking off the striped metallic beetles and their grey larvae
• Check roses for signs of fungal diseases, such as blackspot, and pick off and bin all affected leave

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