Weekly jobs

Continue planting bulbs, and in particular tulips can now go into the ground.

Have you lifted your dahlia tubers, cannas, begonias and gladioli? These need to be stored indoors for winter.

Prune shrub roses now to avoid damage to the roots caused by high winds rocking the plant back and forth. Ideally you want to reduce the overall size of a bush rose to less than a foot high. Any branches that look spindly, diseased or have died back can be removed entirely. Similarly, if there are new shoots at the base, you can remove some of the old ones completely. The rest can be cut back quite hard, ideally just above an outwardfacing bud. This will encourage fresh growth.

Sow batches of hardy broad beans and peas outdoors for early crops next year.

Remove suckers from the base of plants.

Pick off rotting fruit from trees and dispose of it to get rid of fungal spores that overwinter.

Bonfire Night was a great time to get rid of material unsuitable for composting. So, now you have got your fire-making hand in, collect diseased leaves from fruit trees and roses, and chuck them on the fire.

Rake up fallen leaves and compost in bin bags with a few holes pierced – this makes excellent compost for your ericaceous plants.

Treat your lawn to a dose of autumn lawn fertiliser to help it survive the winter.