For your garden....

Summer, meteorologically speaking, is over - many would argue that it never really began. We must place our faith in autumn, therefore, and hope that with the first frost still a little way off there will still be opportunities to get out and enjoy the many things our gardens have left to offer.

Spring bulb planting is a job worth getting out of the way before the leaves begin to fall. Daffodils should be planted as soon as possible, but tulips are best left until November or even December.

Regular deadheading of late-flowering shrubs, perennials and container plants will encourage them to continue their display until the first frost.

Fading perennials can be cut back and, if the clumps have become congested, lifted and divided. Herbaceous borders were traditionally cut down in one big autumn tidy-up, an approach which continues to suit tidy-minded gardeners or those who can’t be sure they will have time to do it later. Consider leaving at least some of the plant skeletons, however, both to fill otherwise empty borders and provide a home and food source for wildlife.

Trim yew and other evergreen hedges. Hedges cut now will retain a crisp outline until well into next year.

Early autumn is the best time to apply weedkiller to bindweed and other tough perennial weeds. Choose a product containing glyphosate, which is carried through the plants vascular system to kill roots, stems and leaves. Ensure your lawn and garden plants are protected, however, as glyphosate will kill any plant it touches.

Complete harvesting of tomatoes, French beans, courgettes and other summer crops. Tomatoes grown outdoors may not ripen fully (particularly if the dull, wet weather continues) in which case the entire truss can be cut off and ripened on windowsill.

Onions and shallots should be lifted and allowed to dry, either on the soil surface or a well-ventilated place indoors. Any remaining potatoes should also be lifted, but other root crops like turnips, parsnips and beetroot can be left in the ground until needed.

Vegetables to sow include spinach, turnips and winter lettuce.

Consider sowing a fast-growing green manure like mustard to crowd weeds out of bare patches of the plot. The green manure can then be dug in when you cultivate the crop later in the winter or spring.

Glasshouse

Light levels drop rapidly at this time of year, so shading should be removed as soon as possible. Ventilation is still important, however, as fungal diseases thrive in the mild, damp conditions of autumn.

Take softwood cuttings of tender perennials like pelargonium and fuchsia, and semi-ripe cuttings of evergreen shrubs like cistus, myrtle and ceonothus.

Sow sweet peas for an early display next year, overwintering in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse before planting out in early spring. Many other hardy annuals can be raised in the same way, handily providing early flowers to plug the gap between spring bulbs and summer perennials.

Lawns

Continue mowing for as long as the grass is growing, raising the cut slightly as autumn advances.

Early autumn is the best time to overhaul your lawn by scarifying, aerating, topdressing and reseeding. This labour intensive process really does make a difference, so is worth doing every once in a while, at least!

• Begin by cutting the lawn, ensuring all the trimmings are removed.
• Rake vigorously with a spring tined rake to remove the "thatch" of dead grass and moss. Don't be afraid to use quite a bit of force, and prepare to be amazed at the quantity of material you generate. There are no better forms of exercise, which means a scarifying machine will need to be bought or hired to tackle larger lawns.
• Mow the lawn again to pick up any remaining thatch and trim any long sideshoots of grass.
• Spike the lawn all over using a garden fork, inserting the tines to at least half their length and lifting the turf slightly. Machines that remove small cores of turf are available, but don't be tempted to buy a manual lawn aerator: the hollow tines are instantly and irredeemably clogged by earth.
• If your lawn is poorly drained, brush a proprietary lawn topdressing into the holes. A traditionally twiggy besom broom is the best tool for this job, although any broom will do.
• Spread grass seed over thin or bare patches, brushing it in lightly.
• Don't panic if the lawn looks dreadful - vigorous fresh growth will quickly appear!