Time to start cleaning up the garden!

Rake up leaves and put in an old compost bag, poke some holes in the bottom with your fork and leave outside with the top open.  Then forget about it for at least 12 months.   After this time, you'll have some beautiful home made compost to put on the garden.

If you're feeling really energetic, rake and scarify your lawn to remove thatch and aerate the soil.  Add compost to worn and yellowing areas, spreading with the back of a rake until it's about 1/3 of an inch deep.  Once Spring comes, the rains will spread the nutrients and fertilise your grass for the coming months.

Collect up all your garden planters and give them a good clean with a mild solution of warm water and detergent and a scrubbing brush.  Leave to dry and store safely until Spring.


Plant your Spring bulbs to ensure colour in the early months.  Daffodils are on sale in most good Garden Centres and Nurseries, so get planting now before the ground becomes too hard and cold.

Looking for winter colour? Garden Mums and Winter Pansies are all firm favourites for winter containers, and are available in many bright colours.  Ornamental grasses are a great focal point for a bare flower bed but do check you are buying a hardy version, as some grasses can be frost tender.

Watch for the first frosts and be prepared to cover tender plants and vegetables with several layers of newspaper or garden fleece.