"Autumn gardening tips"

• Replace summer bedding in borders with winter flowering pansies, polyanthus, wallflowers, tulips and daffodils.
• Empty hanging baskets that are past their best and replant with winter flowering pansies, variegated ivy and primulas, to create a winter show of flowers. Try and keep hanging basket chains as short as possible in the winter to prevent the basket being blown about.
• Frosts are likely, bring house plants indoors, move tender plants under cover.
• Protect half-hardy perennials from frost with straw, newspaper or netting.
• Cover ponds with netting to prevent leaves dropping or blowing into the water.
• Apply manure and dig over heavy soil in the Autumn. Don't worry about breaking down large lumps of soil as the Winter frost should break these down.
• Plant shrubs and trees whilst the soil is still warm but plants are less likely to be dried out by the sun.
• Aerate, scarify and top dress lawns, to remove moss, dead grass and encourage healthy grass next season.
  Now is an ideal time to sow or lay a new lawn, while the soil is still warm
• Spring flowering bulbs should be available in your local garden centre. Plan where you are going to plant them and buy accordingly, it's great fun filling up those brown bags with bulbs, but can be expensive.
  If you have a small garden, or are planting bulbs in pots, think about using smaller varieties of bulbs.
  Plant bulbs of one variety together for effect.
• Collect and dispose of wind-fall fruit. Leaving them on the ground encourages pests and can damage your lawn.
• Take blackcurrant cuttings. Cutting should be 10' long - the size of a pencil. Plant upright in a 'V' shaped trench with sharp sand in the bottom, then back fill with soil.