Plant new climbers, shrubs and trees while the soil is still warm.

Take cuttings or save tender plants when you clear out summer containers if you have space to overwinter them.

Check the greenhouse heating and insulate to save heat.

Make sure bowls of bulbs being forced for indoor flowering don’t dry out.

As land becomes vacant in the vegetable plot, start digging when ground conditions are good, leaving the ground rough to allow the frost to penetrate.

Protect strawberries potted for forcing early next year against frost by putting them in a cold frame.

Continue to plant biennials such as foxglove, Canterbury bells and honesty.

Check over brassicas for caterpillars of the cabbage white butterfly and pick off any you find.

Cut back asparagus foliage and weed the bed and any self-set plants before applying a layer of organic matter.

Once leaves have fallen, prune gooseberries.

Mow your lawn less frequently as growth slows down, and raise the height of the cutting blades.

Reduce the feeding of fish in ponds as any food not eaten will just decompose in the water.

Complete the pruning of climbing roses and tie them in before the autumn winds pick up.

Trim conifers if necessary for the last time, but don’t cut into old wood.

Prune tall shrubs such as lavateras and Buddleia davidii, cutting them back by about half their height to tidy them up and prevent wind rock during winter. They can then be pruned hard in the spring.

Plant herbaceous perennials while the soil is still warm. They look best planted in groups of three or more plants.