Gardening and Tidying Tasks to Do Now

Gather all fallen leaves and sweep them into a pile for making leaf mould.

Make protective windbreaks out of sacking or polythene and wrap them around any new planted shrubs you have so as to protect them from the wind and frost and the bitter cold of the Winter.

Make sure any new trees that you have planted are firmed in tightly as the frost will lift them otherwise, that goes with shrubs too.

Store any plants that come during the winter that you have ordered in a shed, suntop, greenhouse, make sure they cannot be damaged by the frost, snow, rain or bitter cold wind. Use bubble wrap polythene to cover their roots.

There is still time to plant bare rooted deciduous trees and shrubs and any container grown ones. Just make sure that you cover them with sacking too.

You can also continue planting heathers and any new hedges that you were planning to do this year.

Layer shoot of actinidias

Make sure that you have taken your cutting of hardwood and evergreen deciduous shrubs.

Heel cuttings of jasmine can be taken as long as you put them in a cold frame to root.

Sow seeds of trees, shrubs and climbers in pots of gritty compost and place these in your cold frame, green house or in a sheltered place for the winter.

If the soil is unsuitable for planting, heel in the roses or better still wrap them in sacking or straw or bubble wrap polythene, store them in a frost-free place.

Tidy the beds, trim grass edges, but be careful if the grass is to wet leave it be you don't want to damage it.

Pruning - Before planting new roses, prune out twiggy side shoots and cut back damaged roots to about 12 inches.

Continue cutting back large clusters of flowers (hybrid's and floribunda's) by about half.

Prepare the ground if you wish to sow a new lawn in the spring, dig it over and leave it rough.

If your laying a lawn finish this in February. If the weather is good then you can continue mowing lawns, but from my window mine will be being left until next Spring now it's sopping out there!

Clean, oil and pack the mower away until next Spring.

Continue tidying flowerbeds, finish digging any new borders and leave the soil rough. Rake up leaves, examine your stored chrysanthemum stools and dahlia tubers and discard any rotting ones. Prepare the ground for next years sweet peas.

Complete planting of hardy perennials, hyacinths and tulips.

Remove any fallen leaves from the rock garden and use them for leaf mould.

Lightly fork over the soil and if you want to plant some daffodil bulbs there is still time, the small variety are best in a rockery.

Ensure autumn-flowering bulbs are not over whelmed by the foliage of alpines, this sometimes can happen just trim around the edges to allow a little more light to get to the bulbs.

Continue to remove all leaves from the pond and stop feeding the fish at the end of the month.

Move bay trees into the green house to protect them from the frost and cold.

Prune miniature and patio roses lightly, including the roots, before planting them into containers. Be sure to shelter them from wind, again I think I would be inclined to bring them into the greenhouse if you have one or shelter them alongside a wall which doesn't get to much wind.

Lift rhubarb crowns for forcing. Continue adding manure to the compost. Lift chicory plants and place them in boxes of moist soil and force them on in a greenhouse.

You can make sowing of lettuce in the greenhouse and plant garlic and continue to sow broad beans outside under cloches, you can also sow early peas if you wish.

Prepare holes for new trees and bushes, insert the tree stakes before planting, as the ground will probably be quite wet at the moment. If you can try to plant all fruit trees this month and prune any established trees that you have.

Now I am a firm believer in ensuring that my garden equipment is packed away properly for the winter. That means washing all plastic pots, cleaning any ceramic, terracotta pots and stacking them away for the winter. Putting all canes together and tying them and storing them ready for next year.

Washing trays, sweeping the patio, stacking the garden furniture (treat with wood preserver if necessary and then cover) and storing under cover. Cleaning the decking is also worth doing now to give it a chance to dry out prior to the really bad winter days setting in.

I also like to clean my suntop now, that means washing down the windows and polishing them, getting rid of any cobwebs as the spiders tend to think that they live there when they don't!

And hey presto, I think we are ready for whatever weather comes are way.

Suppose we ought to move on and think about the Spring!