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Protect you plants from the cold weather and wrap half-hardy bananas, palms, cannas and ginger lilies in fleece and straw if they grow in sheltered positions. Alternatively lift the plants, pot or crate them up and bring into a frost-free greenhouse

'm in trouble. Compost heaps can be encouraged to break down in winter with a covering of thick insulation, such as a layer of cardboard, carpet or even an old duvet. Compost bins can be wrapped up - they will look ridiculous but at least they'll produce compost

Take 10 minutes first thing in the morning, during the height of summer, to pour water onto the floor of the greenhouse. This simple task creates enough moisture throughout the day to prevent your plants from suffering heat stress.Watering can full

Harvest globe artichokesStake tall Brussels sprouts to stop them from blowing overDig up chicory roots, cut off their tops and re-pot for forcing, to grow on in a dark shedWrap grease bands around the trunks of apples, pears, cherries and plums to trap

compost to dig in over winter, or pile onto the soil for the worms to drag underCut down marginal plants surrounding pondsSend off for mail-order seed and perennials cataloguesMow your lawn on a dry day with the blades set highWrap outside taps

in frosty weatherWrap pots with sacking or insulating material to protect the roots of plantsMake last-minute stocking fillers from collected seedheads saved into pretty envelopesPick evergreen foliage for indoor decorations, storing in water in a porch

-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

or bubble polythene and they'll reward you with lush foliage next season.Clean and sharpen pruning tools Repair and treat fencing and timber structures Bring all watering equipment indoorsAround the gardenPrune wisteria sideshoots to 10-15cm from their base

.Home-grown applesAny of the following:NewspapersApple rackFiling trayPlastic bagsautumn10 minutes to an hourPlace a few apples in a clear plastic bag - such as a freezer bag - and store in the fridge for up to a week. Use pre-used bags where possible.To store apples

to cut and bend, so a whole clutch of cone hanging baskets can be made in under an hour.1 50cm x 100cm aluminium sheet per cone1.5m of thin galvanised wireFelt pen and stringMetal cutters and a small bradawl50cm x 100cm piece of bubble wrapIvy and ferns