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Protect tender plants for winterThe trend for growing exotic looking plants in our gardens means that some of them may need protection from the worst of the winter cold and wet. Wrap half hardy bananas, palms and tree ferns with fleece, straw

Lift dahlia tubers or protect those left in the ground with a thick mulch of straw or barkSow sweet peas now for bigger, earlier blooms next yearCollect seeds and berries from shrubs and flowering plants that you want to propagateEmpty and clean out

Plant out spring bedding, including pansies, wallflowers and forget-me-notsPot up tender perennials from summer displays to bring under cover for winter protectionPrune rambling and climbing rosesRake autumn leaves from lawns and pick out from

Net crops to protect them from pigeonsEarmark your best sprouts for the Christmas table and give them last-minute protection if windyTake hardwood cuttings from fruit bushesGet ready for planting asparagus in spring, removing weeds and digging over

Applied to fruit trees to protect them from the wingless females of some moths, which would climb trees to lay eggs among young shoots. A sticky substance, such as fruit tree grease, is applied to the bole of the tree in a 10cm band, 3ft above

old plants from beds and bordersWrap tender plants, such as olives and palms, to give them extra weather protection

Prune suckers away from the base of ornamental treesCollect hoses, sprinklers and other watering equipment to store in the shed over winterProtect glazed pots from frost damage by wrapping up or bringing into a shedOrder bare-root roses for planting

Knock heavy snow off shrubs and conifers to prevent its weight damaging branchesPlace rabbit guards around trees to protect barkFirm down plants lifted by frost or wind rockCover areas needed for early seed sowing with polythene or cloches to warm

, smoothing out any creases as you go.AdamTry salads in a pot decorated with this copper tape - it'll give slugs a run for their money and you'll have luscious leaves.Protecting plants from slugs and snailsChoosing slug-resistant plantsKeeping slugs off your

The rose leaf rolling sawfly injects a chemical into young rose leaves to cause them to curl protectively around her eggs. Within a week the eggs hatch into green caterpillars that start to eat their home. In mid-summer, leaving behind skeletonised