The Autumn garden has looked really good this year, especially in all the lovely autumn sunshine we have had. The borders were really beautiful in October, and the Michaelmas daisies and Sedums looked particularly fine with tones of purple and pink, and they just flowered on and on.

Lilies start to sulk when they’re not happy!
Now is a good time to plant lily bulbs, as they have a head start on the spring planted ones. They need to be planted in good, rich, well- drained soil with plenty of organic matter dug in. Most of them like to be planted deep (about 15cm). If you have pots of lilies that have been in about 3 years they will need to be repotted (usually they start to sulk when they are not happy!) or disposed of and fresh ones put in. Make sure you use a deep enough pot to give them a fighting chance!

Prune blackcurrants now removing two or three of the oldest branches down to the base. You can take cuttings really easily from blackcurrant bushes by cutting some healthy 25cm long shoots, which have formed this year (make a slanted cut at the bottom so you know which way up they go) and simply sticking them in the ground – it really is that easy!

Look out on something neat and tidy during the grey days
There are two schools of thought on tidying borders for winter. You can either leave the dying foliage and stems of perennials over winter to help insects survive, or alternatively you only leave the architecturally pleasing seedheads and get rid of the rest, as the slugs also like rotting foliage to spend their winter under.

You are either inclined one way or the other and I have to say that I like to take away most of the old stems, apply a good mulch of composted farmyard manure and look out on something neat and tidy during the grey days! At least that is what I intend to do when I have the time!

Hybrid tea and floribunda roses need to be cut back by about one-third now, which will stop wind rock loosening the roots through the winter. Also cut off any dead, diseased or crossing growth. Leave the rest for the spring pruning.

If shrubs such as Cotinus (smoke bush) have become too large they can be cut back now by a third providing the weather is still mild, and this will produce a more compact shrub next year.