Autumn is a lovely season to be in. The leaves turn different shades of yellow, orange, and red. The conkers start to grow on the trees, and it’s time to pull out those gorgeous over the knee boots you’ve been dying to wear. Having said that, it can also cause an absolute havoc to your garden. The wind picks up so you’ll start finding debris all over the lawn and dampened leaves that stick together and cover your grass completely. But don’t worry – help is at hand. Here’s how to keep your garden on point throughout the season.
Collect autumn leaves
All the leaves that are falling off the trees don’t have to be removed. Instead, make a few piles in different areas of your garden that are out of the way, as these may provide shelter for the wildlife through this season and leading on to winter. Don’t leave any leaves scattered on your grass of pavements though as these can get very slippy which is rather dangerous. Remember that all these leaves can be used as part of a compost too – so never just throw them out – they’re really useful.
Put away plant supports
If you’ve been using the plant supports over the summer to assist your plants to grow big and high, you won’t need them again until next year. So cut down any climbers, remove the dead stems and foliage, and then wash off any dirt and insects to make sure it’s clean. You can even treat it properly with some preservative to keep it looking and feeling brand new. Then just store them away indoors until they’re needed again.
Tidy your borders
Any plants that are starting to die, for example, the leaves that have dried up, and the stems that have collapsed, pull them off or cut them at the base. If you have any stems with some seedheads, leave them for the birds to eat as they’ll enjoy these.
Get rid of as many weeds as you can and then spread some compost (bought or homemade) over your soil as a way of insulating the roots of your plants.
Overbearing areas
If you have any overgrown trees with branches that are disturbing views or areas within your garden, you should have them dealt with now before it gets too cold outside. A manual saw, or maybe even a chainsaw will be the best way to deal with stubborn branches – you can find the best here. You should also make sure you cut around the edges of your lawn too. You can do this with the edging tool or even gardening scissors to define the lines.
Make repairs
You should make sure that any repairs are done now before the winter comes, as you don’t want any storms blowing your fences away, or blankets of snow weighing them down. The same goes for your compost bin, and shed – especially the roof. Make sure that it has no cracks or gaps in otherwise this could not only damage the shed itself, but everything you have inside it too.