Well it’s official, the central heating has been switched on so it must mean one thing… summer has drawn to a close and Autumn is upon us.

We might get a few more days to enjoy the last of the colour in the garden, so for now, just pop on your favourite gardening jumper, grab your gardening gloves and let’s set out to prepare your garden for the upcoming autumn and winter.

First off, save your seeds! We all love free plants and who doesn’t love a blowsy bright annual brightening up the patio. Save your annual seeds in paper envelopes but don’t forget to write on them in lovely Sharpie so that you know what they are. Then store em in a cool, dry place until you can plant them in Spring and watch them bloom!

Don’t start chopping everything down just yet though, save some of those beautiful architectural seed heads for the budding photographers to shoot as the cold sets in and frost takes hold. You never know, you might get a lovely print to admire for your wall as part of the bargain.

If you’ve got any tender bulbs, now’s the time to dig em up and store em somewhere indoors and whilst you’re digging em up, you can plant spring flowering bulbs – win win.

Talking of free plants, it’s also the perfect point to divide herbaceous perennials so get out there with your fork and divide and conquer.

If you’re a dab hand in the veggie garden, dig up all your remaining spuds before the slugs get to em… boil em, roast em or fry em! Nom.

Get out your secateurs and trim all late flowering shrubs such as Philadelphus once it’s finished flowering.

Then reward yourself by sitting in your favourite deckchair by the fire drinking a nice chilled glass of Prosecco whilst pretending it’s still summer!