Gardening: Weekend Work

Autumn is well under way, and with winter just round the corner there is still much to do in the garden. Continue mowing lawns during dry spells if the grass is still growing, but set the blades a little higher. Spike compacted lawns, or those prone to waterlogging, with a hollow-tined aerator, or push a fork into the soil and rock it back and forth. Finish off by brushing coarse sand or gritty compost into the holes.

Rake leaves off the lawn and collect from borders, patios and paths to make your own leafmould. Mix with grass clippings and store in black polythene bags. Use the resulting mould as a soil conditioner within six to nine months. Alternatively, build a simple leafmould bin from canes and chicken wire, pile in your leaves, and leave till well broken down. Take care not to use diseased material - destroy all fallen rose leaves showing signs of blackspot.

Mail-order roses arriving this month should have their bare roots soaked in water for a few hours before planting in open, sunny positions. Keep the union between rootstock and branches at, or slightly below, soil level, and prune branches hard after planting.

Cover ponds with netting to prevent leaves blowing in, and remove filters and pumps to prevent damage by freezing. Tidy pond plants now by cutting back dead marginal plants, removing blanketweed and thinning out oxygenating plants.

In the herb garden, dig up chives, mint and parsley and grow them on indoors to give you fresh herbs through the winter. Lift, divide and replant perennial herbs such as lemon balm, bergamot, mint and chives. Elsewhere, deadhead alpines, remove dead growth and replenish gravel mulch to stop rotting in damp weather. Woolly-leaved and delicate alpines may need protection from excessive wet. A sheet of glass propped up on bricks is better than a cloche, which may increase humidity.

A wide range of trees and shrubs can be propagated from hardwood cuttings as this time of year, including currants, gooseberries, weigela, willows, roses, privet, viburnum, tamarisk, philadelphus, forsythia, cornus and buddleia. Most can be rooted directly into garden soil, but some will prefer the extra warmth and protection that a cold frame provides. Simply cut a length of stem about 30cm (1ft) long, remove the tip above a bud, trim the base just below a bud, and push the cutting into the soil to half its length.

Add colour to the garden by planting winter-flowering heathers, which will be in bloom from December to May. Empty out patio pots of old summer bedding and plant up with a selection of heathers, trailing ivies and evergreen shrubs such as euonymus, box and hebe, interspersed with dwarf spring-flowering bulbs. Ornamental cabbage can look good, and provide an interesting conversation piece. Insulating the inside of large terracotta pots with a lining of bubble polythene will help prevent them cracking in winter. Smaller containers can be brought in under cover if the weather is likely to freeze the compost. Pot azaleas growing outside should be brought indoors now to flower.

House plants need less water now that temperatures are lower and growth has slowed down. Stop feeding house plants, and keep them away from cold draughts. Avoid positioning close to radiators and take care not to trap plants between curtains and windows at night, where temperatures can drop rapidly. Hippeastrum (amaryllis) can be started off this month. Soak the base in lukewarm water for a few hours, and plant in a pot, leaving the top half of the bulb showing. Ten weeks later you should be able to enjoy its bright-red, trumpet-shaped flowers.