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the end of the 2012 growing season. The reason I’m flustered is that there’s so much still to do, and the most urgent job is to bring any tender plants that are still outside under cover before they’re damaged.I have a lovely selection of tender succulents

insects - which have a fluffy white covering - carry on feeding on the sap, prolonging the problem. Prolific breeding in summer means the symptoms don't disappear. Young, winged, sap-feeding insects attack young bay foliage, discolouring and distorting it

displays to bring under cover for winter protectionPick leaves affected by rose blackspot and collect any lying on the ground nearbyCut down perennials whose seedheads aren't worth keeping, digging in compost around them

Grow garlicGarlic is a key ingredient in much of our cooking and nothing beats the flavour of a home-grown crop. It needs a long growing season in the UK so the key to success is early planting, between November and the New Year.Cover soil

-summer-flowering clematisDivide congested perennials after floweringPlant bare-rooted rosesFlowersWrap grease bands around fruit trees Plant out garlic or start growing cloves in potsClear away old crops and dig over the groundFruit & vegInsulate your greenhouse Bring

perennials such as couch grass or ground elder.Cover your bin with carpet to keep it warm and to help speed up the composting process.Improving the quality of your soilVideo guide on making compost, with Chris BeardshawImproving your soil with green manure

Thankfully, Buster the guinea-pig has a thick night-time cover of old carpet, otherwise he might have been shocked to discover the fornication going on outside his hutch one morning last week. When I peered out from the kitchen at 6.30am, two great

Carrots can be stored for winter use in a number of ways. On well-drained soils they can be left in the ground, protected from the cold by a thick layer of straw, bracken or soil.Carrots stored in this way can be difficult to harvest, however, so it

to protect the growing point. In cold regions this can be loosely packed with straw for extra insulation.Push bamboo canes into the ground around the plant to be protected, and cover with horticultural fleece or bubble polythene to create a protective tent

are shredded and may be covered in brown-black droppings.Pick off the grubs and adults as soon as you see them. The adults will drop to the ground at the slightest touch, so spread newspaper under the plants to catch them. Be quick and crush them under foot