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Tidy up piles of flowerpots and debris that could harbour snailsRaise patio containers on feet or bricks, to ensure their compost drains properlyAvoid walking on lawns covered with heavy frost, as you'll kill the grassProvide birds with fresh water

single variety, planted in large drifts.In damp areas, try planting snake's head fritillary (Fritillaria meleagris), an early flowering bulb that looks stunning when naturalised in grass.Bulbs or corms, such as daffodils or crocusLawn-edging tool

with long handles. Some gardeners find giant plastic handles adequate, but grabbers are more versatile and reduce the amount of bending down involved.Choose a relatively gentle, flat-tined plastic or rubber rake for sweeping leaves off the lawn and gravel

or ruining your display, it might not be worth fighting it. This grass can make itself at home all around the garden, particularly in beds, borders, the lawn and paving. It has fluffy flowerheads that disperse seed and keep the weed coming.Use a handfork

diseased and healthy plants via tough, leathery, bootlace-like rhizomorphs. Fairy rings attack grass roots and produce brown toadstools in summer.Individual fungi or clusters of toadstools appear in the garden, often after a spell of warm, wet weather

.Prepare soil ready for sowing a lawn or laying turf during September and OctoberTop up water levels in pebble fountains and poolsDeal with problem lawn weedsAround the gardenSave seed from ornamental annual quaking grassWater camellias regularlySummer prune

Gradually lower the cutting height of your mower as grass growth increasesSpray roses showing signs of diseases such as blackspot, rust or powdery mildewApply a combined weed, feed and moss killer to your lawn if you think it needs itTop up water

Collect leaves as they fall and store in a wire bin or plastic bag to make leaf-mould Leave out sunflower seed heads for the birds to feed onCollect sprinklers, drip-feed systems and other watering kit to store in the shed over winterSprinkle grass

, in the worst case scenario, lift the turf and replace it.In lawns, you can get rid of the weed using a lawn weedkiller, such as a 2, 4-D-based herbicide. Apply it in cool, moist and calm weather when there's least risk of accidentally spraying nearby garden

.Tackle weeds quicklyGrass and weeds will soon spread across a path that's been laid through a lawn, so cut the grass back to a neat edge to keep it under control. Use a stiff, sharp blade, such as a hand-weeding knife or lawn-edging tool. Use a long wooden