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weather sets in.Use a fork or hollow-tined aerator to spike lawnsDig up and pot up tender perennials to bring indoorsRaise the cutting height when mowing the lawnAround the gardenPlant crocuses, fritillaries and dwarf narcissus in lawnsPlant up patio pots

.Wash and disinfect bird feeders and tables Collect fallen leaves and add to a leaf bin to compost down Spread fresh gravel or grit around alpine plants Around the gardenTake root cuttings of oriental poppies Check stakes and ties are secure on trees and climbers

or spadeautumn1 hourUse a spade or lawn-edging tool to cut an H shape into the turf, pushing the blade vertically through the turf.Push the spade under the turf to cut through the grass roots, and start easing back a complete layer of turf. Do the same

Set up an automatic watering system to look after greenhouse crops, patio pots and baskets if you're going on holidayRaise mower cutting height to leave lawns longer if the weather is very dryTrim conifers and other garden hedgesTop up the water

While you can't take cuttings from rhododendrons, there is a much simpler technique you can try - layering. Do it over the summer and by the following spring you'll have the beginnings of many new rhododendron plants.Established rhododendron plant

garden hedgesAround the gardenTake cuttings from shrubsPrune out plain green shoots from variegated trees and shrubsCut lavender for drying when in full flowerFlowersHarvest onions sown last autumn for early cropsWater celery regularly in dry weather

the developing flowers of cauliflowers.Flower heads are infested with small bronze-green shiny beetles that spread pollen over petals.Pollen beetles can be a nuisance if you want to bring cut flowers indoors. Stand the flowers in a bucket somewhere dark for a few

Cut late-summer-flowering clematis right down to soil levelDivide congested clumps of perennials such as asters, campanulas, rudbeckias and chrysanthemums after floweringPlant bare-rooted rosesDig up and compost exhausted summer beddingPlant out

Put up shading to reflect scorching sunlight and keep temperatures downOpen all vents on warm days, but close again in the eveningOrder plug plants and seedlings by post, and pot up as soon as they arriveTake leaf cuttings from houseplants

to supportsIncrease shading and ventilation to keep temperatures down on hot daysTake cuttings from hydrangeas, fuchsias, pelargoniums, osteospermums, marguerites, coleus and verbena