Autumn is often described as the end of the gardening year, but it's really the beginning. What you do between September and November shapes how your garden looks next spring and summer. The soil is still warm, rain is more reliable, and plants put their energy into roots rather than top growth, which makes this the best planting season of the year.
Here's a practical guide to what to do and when, with timings adjusted for cooler northern gardens where the first frosts can arrive in October.
At a Glance: Autumn Jobs by Month
| Month | Priority Jobs |
|---|---|
| September | Plant spring bulbs (daffodils, crocus, alliums), scarify and aerate the lawn, collect seeds, take cuttings, clean the greenhouse |
| October | Divide perennials, plant garlic, lift tender plants before frost, net the pond, start collecting leaves |
| November | Plant tulips, plant bare-root roses, trees and hedging, reduce rose height, insulate the greenhouse, mulch borders |
1. Plant Spring Bulbs
This job gives you the most reward for the least effort.
- Daffodils, crocus, snowdrops and alliums go in from September to early October. Daffodils benefit from an early start because they root quickly.
- Tulips should wait until November. Planting them in colder soil reduces the risk of tulip fire, a fungal disease.
- Planting depth: a good rule is two to three times the height of the bulb, pointy end up.
- Tip: If you want a natural look, scatter the bulbs by hand and plant them where they land. Straight rows look like a municipal roundabout.
2. Look After Your Roses
Roses need a little attention before winter, especially in windy gardens.
- Reduce height by about a third on tall shrub and hybrid tea roses in late autumn. This prevents "wind rock", where winter gales loosen the roots.
- Clear fallen leaves from around the base, particularly any with black spot. This breaks the disease cycle for next year.
- Tie in climbers and ramblers securely to their supports before winter storms arrive.
- Plant bare-root roses from November onwards. They're cheaper than potted roses, establish better, and the choice of varieties is much wider.
- Leave the main pruning until late winter or early spring.
3. Prepare the Greenhouse for Winter
A clean greenhouse over winter means fewer pests and diseases in spring.
- Empty it and clean it thoroughly. Wash the glass inside and out to let in as much winter light as possible, and scrub the staging, pots and seed trays.
- Check for overwintering pests in the corners and frames, such as red spider mite, whitefly and slugs.
- Insulate with horticultural bubble wrap once nights turn cold. It can raise the inside temperature by a few degrees.
- Reduce watering considerably. Overwintering plants sitting in cold, wet compost rot faster than they die of cold.
- Ventilate on mild days to keep the air moving and prevent grey mould (botrytis).
4. Protect Tender Plants
| Plant | What to Do |
|---|---|
| Dahlias | Lift after the first frost blackens the foliage, dry the tubers, then store them somewhere cool and frost-free. In colder areas, lifting is safer than leaving them in the ground. |
| Pelargoniums, fuchsias | Bring them into the greenhouse or a cool windowsill, or take cuttings as a backup |
| Cannas, begonias | Lift and store like dahlias |
| Potted tender perennials | Move them against a sheltered wall and raise the pots on feet to prevent waterlogging |
5. The Vegetable Plot
- Plant garlic in October and November. Garlic needs a cold spell to form proper bulbs, so autumn planting gives it the best start.
- Sow hardy broad beans such as 'Aquadulce Claudia' for an early crop. In exposed or cold gardens, sow them in pots in the greenhouse instead.
- Plant overwintering onion sets.
- Clear spent crops and compost healthy material. Bin anything diseased, such as tomato foliage with blight.
- Cover empty beds with a thick mulch of compost or well-rotted manure, or sow a green manure such as field beans or winter rye to protect and feed the soil.
6. Divide and Plant Perennials
- Divide overcrowded clumps of hardy perennials such as hardy geraniums, asters, sedums and daylilies. Replant the healthy outer sections and discard the tired centre.
- Plant new perennials, shrubs and hedging while the soil is still warm, so they establish over winter.
- Bare-root trees and hedging are available from November and are much better value than container plants.
7. Lawn Care
September is the best month of the year for lawn repair.
- Scarify to remove thatch and moss.
- Aerate by pushing a garden fork into the lawn every 10–15 cm, then brushing in a sandy top dressing.
- Overseed bare patches while the soil is warm.
- Raise the mower blades and cut less often as growth slows.
- Keep leaves off the lawn. A layer of leaves left sitting on grass will yellow and weaken it.
8. Don't Waste the Leaves
Fallen leaves are free soil improver.
- Make leaf mould: pack damp leaves into bin bags, pierce a few holes, and leave them somewhere out of the way. In one to two years you'll have beautiful crumbly mulch.
- Mow leaves on the lawn to shred them first. They'll break down much faster.
- Net ponds to stop leaves sinking and rotting, which fouls the water.
9. Work With Wildlife
A tidy garden isn't always a healthy garden.
- Leave some seedheads standing on plants such as teasels, echinacea and grasses. They feed birds and look lovely in frost.
- Leave a pile of logs or leaves in a quiet corner for hedgehogs and overwintering insects.
- Clean bird feeders and baths and start topping them up regularly.
- Check bonfire piles for hedgehogs before lighting them.
10. Plan and Reflect
Autumn is the best time to assess the garden honestly, while the season is still fresh in your mind.
- What worked? Which plants thrived, and which varieties would you grow again?
- What didn't? Where were the gaps in colour, which plants struggled, and what was more work than it was worth?
- Take photos now of borders and structure. They're invaluable when planning in January.
- Start your seed and bulb wish list before the catalogues arrive.
The Bottom Line
If you only manage three jobs this autumn, make them these:
- Plant bulbs. An afternoon's work gives you months of spring colour.
- Clean the greenhouse. It's the biggest defence against next year's pests.
- Mulch your beds. It protects the soil, suppresses weeds and feeds your plants over winter.
Autumn gardening is about investing in a future you can't see yet, and that is part of its quiet satisfaction. The work you do on a chilly October afternoon is exactly what makes next June look effortless.