JOBS for the week

Get a head start with hardy annuals, and sow now. These can be sown in situ or in trays.

If you have an area set aside as meadow, it’s time to give it its autumn chop. Cut as close to ground as possible and remove cuttings. This allows the light in and helps germination of new seeds.

Remove summer raspberry canes which have finished fruiting. Next year’s fruit will be on the fresh green canes and these need tying in to supports. No raspberries? Think about ordering them and other fruiting canes, such as blackberries, now as you can plant them in the dormant season this winter.

Dry days make good seedcollection days. Armed with a brown paper bag and pen, shake the seed into the bag and label. Many seeds can be sown fresh now or kept in a dry cool place for spring sowing.

It’s a good time of year for soil improvement while the earth is still pliable and not waterlogged – dig in your garden compost or fork in some wellrotted manure.

While the ground is still warm, it’s a good time to plant herbaceous perennials. The soil is still warm, which encourages root growth before winter sets in, and there’s also sufficient moisture to hydrate them. By planting now, you give your plants a head start so that by spring they are raring to go.

For the same reasons, it’s also a good time to lift and divide perennials which have become congested and need some rejuvenation. They won’t all like division – for example, those with long tap roots, such as cow parsley – and it’s best to leave those that are flowering now, such as rudbeckia, to spring division. When replanting divisions or new perennials, give them a good soak and keep them well-watered to help them establish.