Tend to your pond

Remove dead leaves and plant debris from your pond this month to avoid a build up of decomposing vegetation. To tidy up perennial marginals and allow more light in, cut back the upright leaf blades and stems to about 15cm (6in) above the water surface. Use a fine dipping net to remove some of the silt and weeds, and leave them at the pondside for a few days so that amphibians and water insects can crawl back into the pond. Then add the dried debris to your compost heap. Cover the pond with netting to stop autumn leaves falling in.