JOBS for the week

■ Late summer can be a good time to pick up bargains at your local garden centre. Perennials that have finished flowering are often at reduced rates and at this time of year, they can be divided up into a couple of smaller plants, giving you even better value. Keep an eye out for late summer flowering perennials like rudbeckias, asters and chrysanthemums which could give you lots of colour and enjoyment right through to November.

■ Get your biennials – wallfowers, sweet

Williams, honesty, foxgloves and forget-me-nots into their final flowering position. Either you will have sown their seeds earlier this summer or, if not, you can buy stock from your local nursery or garden centre.

■ You can still sow crops for late autumn harvest such as lettuce, spring onion, radish, rocket and lamb’s lettuce.

■ Sweet pea lovers – it’s time to make your selection of varieties for next year. They’re best sown from late September through early October to get a head start for next spring.

■ As growth decreases, heighten the blade on your lawn mower. Reseed any worn patches.

■ Consider sowing hardy annuals for next year. The benefit of sowing now or in early autumn will be an earlier display next spring. This won’t be suitable for halfhardy or tender annuals and even your hardy sowings may need some protection in a very harsh winter. Suitable candidates include lunaria (honesty), poppies, nigella (love-in-a-mist) and cornflowers.

■ Treat vine weevil infection with nematodes – this treatment works best while the soil is warm, as it is now.

■ Purchase narcissi Paperwhites for forcing indoors in time for Christmas.