5 Top Tips for Caring for Your Garden in Autumn

Published: 16th Oct 2024

October is here and whilst it brings us beautiful autumnal colours, it also delivers the colder temperatures and wetter weather. To prepare your garden for the change in season, we’ve put together 5 handy tips to help you care for your garden in autumn.

1. Protect your flowers, fruit and vegetables

The most important step is to ensure your flowers; plants or crops are protected from the cold. Move tender plants into your greenhouse or transfer them into a suitable cold frame.

Smaller plants can also thrive indoors, so decorate your home with your favourite autumn and winter selection – if you have space! 

2. Lawn care and maintenance

First of all, start by raking and collecting leaves and remove any debris. Place the leaves into your composter for homemade leaf mould and use to revitalise your soil.

As the weather gets colder, improve the drainage of your lawn by pushing a garden fork into the grass at regular intervals to prevent waterlogging. For maximum results, top-dressing will support drainage, as well as providing the lawn with extra nutrients it may have lost during the summer.

Also, you might be lucky enough to mow your lawn a few more times too. The Royal Horticultural Society recommends mowing your lawn once a week during autumn – unless too wet or frosty. 

3. Plant evergreens and other autumnal flowers

Evergreen plants and trees will easily transform your garden during the autumn and winter months. Plants such as; Lavender, Clematis, Pansies and Forget-me-not’s look attractive and are easy to maintain too.

If you’re after something a little extra, why not purchase a selection of planters to subtly add colour and dimension to your garden or patio. 

4. Clean your greenhouses

Who said spring cleaning was reserved for earlier in the year? Rather than leaving it until the warmer months, use October as a time to spruce up your greenhouses.

Use a good bristle cleaning brush and a diluted washing up solution to clean the windows and later rinse with water.

Lastly, remove outside shading and disinfect any empty surfaces, ready to transfer your plants from the garden. 

5. Love your shed

Before the thought of cleaning your shed becomes a chore, show it some TLC.

Pressure wash the outside and use a damp cloth to clean its windows, plus sweep inside and dispose of any unwanted items that you’ve stored. Small changes can make a huge difference.

Pressure wash the outside and use a damp cloth to clean its windows, plus sweep inside and dispose of any unwanted items that you’ve stored. Small changes can make a huge difference.

Your garden tools and equipment can also benefit from a quick clean and tidy. To prevent rust or breakages, always clean your tools if covered in mud or if they are wet. Additionally, ensure your cutting tools are ready for the next season by sharpening them with a whetstone. 

Other areas that may need some care and attention 

Pond Care

If you have a pond in your garden protect it with fine netting to prevent any leaves from entering the water and decaying.

Additionally, autumn is the ideal time for cleaning your pond. But, avoid colder or hotter temperatures as this can cause disruption to wildlife or pond fish.

A few things we recommend are: trimming and removing old plants from around the pond, ensure your water filters are working well and also, part change the water (if you have the time and equipment!) 

Prepare your firewood

If you haven’t done so already, prepare and store your firewood in readiness for your log burners and open fires.

Utilise an outside log store to dry and season your wood, as well as to store already dry logs. The less moisture in the wood the better it will burn and produce the most heat.