As trees turn colour and nights get colder, autumn is really with us. Falling leaves will be the biggest problem and eventually a great asset if you take the time to collect them and rot them down successfully into garden compost of leaf mould. Planting new shrubs, trees and hedging should be top priority as well as preparing the lawn for winter.

THE ORNAMENTAL GARDEN

It is time to dig out all the flowering summer bedding and tidy up flower beds. Most tender plants will be destined for the compost heap but because of costs many people will be tempted to rescue plants that can be over-wintered indoors such as geraniums, fuchsias, begonias, dahlias. Other plants that are marginally hardy such as osteospermum and phygelius will also benefit if potted up and moved into an unheated greenhouse or cold frame.

Dig up begonia corms before the first frost, cut off the top growth and allow the stem to dry off. Similarly, cut the top growth off dahlia tubers and dig up the tubers. Store upside down for a few weeks to ensure the stems dry off without rotting the swollen root parts. After they have dried, store the tubers in a box of Levington Nature's Way Soil Improver and Mulch in a cool but frost-free place.

To over-winter geraniums, first check for rust disease on the underside of leaves and throw away any that show red spots as they will only infect the rest of your healthy stock. Now cut back the stems to remove most leaves and pot up several plants in one pot using Levington Multi-Purpose Compost. Tender fuchsias will also need to be cut back dramatically and potted up individually. To keep the dreaded vine weevil at bay, wash off any soil or compost from the roots and pot up the clean plants in fresh Levington Outdoor Container Compost with Insect Control. This will not only ensure roots are vine weevil free but it will also give useful control of existing or hatching whitefly that could be a growing problem throughout the winter - especially if they are stored in a greenhouse or on the kitchen windowsill.

Fallen leaves in flower beds and borders will give slugs and snails excellent daytime hiding places and help to increase the population. To minimise their activity clear away all leaves to the compost heap and scatter some SlugClear Mini Pellets on the border and especially around the edges of the lawn where they hide.

Most shrubs will benefit by planting in the autumn, giving them a good six months of cool weather and damp soils so they can get firmly established. Improve the soil with Levington Nature's Way Soil Improver and Mulch and add some Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food to the soil to ensure the plant is fed for the first growing season.

topical tip

Plant out daffodil and tulip bulbs for spring display. To prevent slug damage to the bulbs water the planting area with SlugClear, the liquid slug killer.

INDOOR GARDENING

As temperatures fall reduce watering and feeding of foliage pot plants while they have a winter rest. In cool rooms you will also be able to reduce watering to a minimum as most plants appreciate their compost being on the dry side when light levels are low. Cacti will probably not need much watering through winter.

Winter flowering plants such as cyclamen need to be watered and fed regularly as this is their normal time to produce leaves and flower buds. Feed cyclamen and saintpaulias (African violet) every two weeks with Miracle-Gro Liquid House Plant Food.

Remove dead and discoloured leaves from foliage plants and pick off any showing signs of disease. Move plants away from the direct heat of radiators or open fires or these will tend to scorch leaves. Increase moisture by standing on gravel trays.

topical tip

Plant up spring flowering bulbs in pots with drainage holes so that they can be brought indoors as soon as the flower buds show colour. Use one variety of bulb in each pot and use a quality compost such as Levington Multi-Purpose

LAWNS

The wet summer weather with regular downpours has made moss a big problem on most lawns. You will find this weed in cool, shady areas of the lawn where the surface has little chance of drying out. It also prefers soils that are short of nutrients, so regular feeding usually helps to ward off attacks. As moss grows at lower temperatures than grass, initial patches found now will spread outwards throughout the winter and left undisturbed your lawn will wake up in spring with more moss than grass.

Take action now to control the moss and put some vigour into the grass. A traditional autumn lawn treatment that feeds the roots is good, but even better is EverGreen Autumn because this also contains a mosskiller.

If you have an average sized lawn of say 100 square metres EverGreen Autumn comes in a convenient hand-held spreader that makes application quick and easy. It only takes ten minutes and about £8 to treat this sized lawn. If you have a larger lawn then it probably pays to buy a wheeled spreader to dispense the lawn treatment quickly and accurately. The EverGreen Easy Spreader or the Scotts EvenGreen Drop Spreader are modern and easy to use. Just fill the big capacity hopper with EverGreen Autumn and you can treat a large lawn in minutes.

There are some cultural jobs that can be carried out after applying EverGreen Autumn to help reduce future moss invasion. The iron in EverGreen Autumn will turn the moss brown within a week or so and this is the time to spike the lawn and improve the drainage. Spike the lawn with a garden fork or a hollow-tine device that takes out cores of soil. This will let air into the soil and if you top dress the affected area and fill the holes with coarse grit this will ensure improved drainage.

If you spike and spread the coarse sand over the lawn once the moss has turned brown one raking will dispose of the moss and drive the coarse sand into the spike holes. This two pronged attack on moss will be beneficial in the long run as you are improving the drainage and the fertility of the soil.

Cut the grass as often as necessary during the autumn, choosing a time when the grass blades are dry. The grass should be left longer than summer cuts and a height of approximately 5cm (2 in) is ideal for winter hardiness. Remove grass clippings and add them to the compost heap.

topical tip

October is the ideal month to sow grass seed, whether for a new lawn or to fill in bare patches or worn areas. Choose a quality mixture such as Evergreen Grass Seed and use the best mix for the site. You will find mixtures for shady areas, for fine lawns or Multi-purpose for general repair. Rake the surface and scatter the seed. A covering of fleece will protect the area from birds, cats and other enemies until germination is well under way.

FRUIT

Remove all old wood that bore fruit on blackberries and hybrid berries such as tayberries. Tie the new canes to a frame into their new fruiting positions.

Pears rarely ripen on the tree and need to be picked and kept warm for them to turn juicy. As with shop bought pears, they need to be checked almost daily, because once they start to ripen they go mushy quickly.

Plant new fruit trees and bushes in October while the soil is moist and relatively warm. As most nursery plants are container grown in soil-less compost, the roots are used to a rich organic medium. Unless you improve the mineral soil in which you plant the tree, the roots will be reluctant to spread out and seem to go round and round in the same ball of compost. To avoid this problem and help quick establishment of the new plant, enrich the soil from the planting hole with Levington's peat-free Soil Improver and Mulch. This is an organic soil conditioner made from bark and composted to a peat-like material. Some gardeners will recommend you dress the soil with bone meal, but this will only release small amounts of nutrients and most of them are phosphates. Better than this is a dressing of Miracle-Gro Controlled Release Plant Food. This contains all three major nutrients and will release balanced plant foods during the next season when the plant roots need them.

topical tip

Control weeds and grasses around fruit trees so that winter rains can penetrate the soil. Clear an area that is as wide as the branches canopy. For weed control that won't affect the fruit tree, use either Roundup or Weedol.

VEGETABLES

Early varieties of leek such as Lyon Prizetaker, Autumn Mammoth or Primera will be ready for digging in October. Carefully lift without bruising the stems that are underground.

Pull the last of main crop carrots and store in trays of dry peat or sand. Cut off all but the last inch of stem, remove the surface dirt and sort through so that only sound carrots are stored. Place in layers so that the carrots do not touch each other and they should last until spring.

Once a crop is harvested clear away the debris and try to keep the soil weed-free. Fertile soil will soon produce a good crop of weed seedlings which are unsightly and will remove useful nutrients from the soil. Hoeing of soil in the autumn is rarely an effective way of controlling weeds - the soil is moist and you just transplant the seedlings from one place to another. Instead use a contact weedkiller such as Weedol or the ready-to-use Weedol Gun! that will be effective whatever the weather. Both these weedkillers are rainfast in ten minutes so that control can be effective even in showery conditions. Controlling weeds with a weedkiller is quicker than hoeing, and it doesn't bring new seeds to the surface or bring on a lot of back ache. One real benefit is that the dying weed roots will increase the organic matter in the top inch or so of soil and thereby improve the structure and water-holding capacity.

Turn the compost heap and use well rotted material when digging over the vegetable plot. Use Weedol to clear any weeds on the soil surface and after a couple of days start digging. Early digging will not only clear the area but will allow frosts to break down heavy clay soils so they are more friable next year.

Pick early varieties of Brussels Sprouts picking from the base upwards. Remove all old and dying leaves to prevent them falling and attracting slugs. A light sprinkling of SlugClear Mini-Pellets around susceptible plants such as cloche covered lettuce will prevent damage.

IN THE GREENHOUSE

It's time to take in tender decorative plants such as fuchsias, geraniums and the like that are to over-winter in the heated greenhouse. As pests and diseases enjoy the atmosphere under cover they will breed with vigour. To minimise the problem treat the plants before they go under glass so they are as clean and healthy as possible. Cut back the stems of the plants such as fuchsia to remove most of the foliage and the inevitable whitefly population. Don't compost the material - take to the tip in a sealed plastic bag. Now lay the plant on its side so you can spray the underside of any remaining leaves with Polysect RTU or BugClear Gun! to control any remaining adult whitefly. After 7 - 10 days inspect for further hatching of adults and spray again. For good control of vine weevil at the roots and useful control of whitefly, wash off existing compost and repot in Levington Outdoor Compost with Insect Control. Pick off any dying or diseased leaves on geraniums and pelargoniums.

topical tip

Dry off corms of begonias and gloxinias growing in pots by turning the pots on their side and giving them no more water. They need a thorough rest before they are started into growth next year.