Gardening Through The Seasons: Autumn Tasks

Autumn is an important time in the gardening calendar. With the harvesting of hard-earned crops, tidying and trimming the garden so it’s ready for winter, as well as planning and planting the spring-time garden, there is plenty to think about.

Here are our top gardening tasks and the tools to help you make the most of your time this autumn:

1. Lawn care

Autumn is the perfect time to prepare your lawn and get it in tip-top condition, so you have lustrous lawn to enjoy in spring and beyond. Revive your grass from the wear and tear of summer by fixing bare patches with seed, aerating it with a garden fork or hallow tine aerator to relive compacted areas, and removing leaves, moss and weeds. Finish by applying autumn lawn feed and fertiliser to strengthen the roots and overall health.

Around this time, you will also need to think about giving your lawn its final cut before winter. When doing this ensure you raise the blade height slightly and never cut when the grass is waterlogged or frozen. Allow any newly seeded areas of grass to grow to at least 5-7cm long before cutting back.

Tip: In autumn look for a high phosphorus lawn feed to encourage strong root growth.

Explore: Lawn Care: moss remover, weedkiller, lawn seed & feed | Lawn Care Tools: leaf grabbers, collectors & rakes, edgers, spreaders, Leaf Blowers & Vacs | Lawn cutting tools: Lawn Mowers | Grass Shears | Strimmers.

2. Plant spring flowering bulbs

Autumn and winter are a wonderful time to plan your garden for next year. Spring flowering bulbs add colour and interest that can emerge even when snow is on the ground and include varieties that take you through to late spring.  If you want an effortless display of flowers in your garden, visit our blog, ‘Flowering Bulbs that come back year after year’ for low maintenance favourites that create show-stopping colour.

Explore: Potting & Planting Tools, long and short handled bulb planters, trowels, spades and more | Flowering Bulbs

3. Care for trees, hedges and shrubs

Cutting back hedges, trees and large shrubs ensures they are in great condition and ready for winter. Always check the specific requirements of your plant, but as a rule late autumn and winter are a good time to remove damaged or distressed tree branches and neaten hedges, improving airflow and allowing light through.

Autumn is also an opportune time to think about protecting your trees and shrubs from harmful nesting insects and diseases caused by cold and damp conditions. Applying a winter tree wash, tree bands or tree grease can all help to keep pests and diseases at bay.

Explore: Cutting tools: Shears | Loppers & Branch Cutters | Pruning Saws | Hedge Trimmers | Chainsaws | Plant Pests: including tree grease, winter tree wash and tree bands

4. Tidy beds and borders and protect plants

Giving your beds and borders a little extra care before winter takes hold will reap dividends in spring and beyond.

Start by clearing dead foliage and pruning perennials, such as roses, to extend the flowering season and protect plants from a host of diseases. Turn the soil and remove weeds before finishing with a winter mulch to add much needed nutrients and winter protection. For particularly tender plants consider adding a layer of fleece to prevent winter frost damage.

Explore: Greenhouse and growing accessories: Winter fleeces | Compost, Bark & Top Soil | Digging Tools | Secateurs & Pruners