Stand back, bewildering politics
I’ve placed my fences round
Pass on, with all your party tricks
Nor tread my holy ground
Stand back, I’m weary of your talk
Your squabbles, and your hate
You cannot enter in this walk
I’ve closed my garden gate

However you cannot close your garden gate just yet there are still plenty of things to do in readiness for the Winter, Spring and Summer (Autumn has officially started!) What do you fancy? Leaves are probably a good place to start, sweep them up and use them to make compost, this will help keep the garden tidy and when you have done that you can remove any old plantings which have reached the end of their life or those you have just got fed up with. Then you can dig the area over ready for some good old fashioned winter weathering.

While we are on general maintenance perennials may need cutting, this material along with kitchen vegetable waste can be added to you compost pile or taken to your local recycling centre.

Lets be up front about it, lawns still need mowing especially in mild areas (grass grows nearly all the year round in Jersey, so there is a down side to living here). Once you have mown it take a close look at it, does it need the moss raking out, aerating, drainage improving? If so now is a good (well as good as any) time to do it. While you are at it consider levelling uneven areas or replacing poor patches with turf. Oh yes, and water well.

It’s a good time of year for ordering and planting trees, shrubs and climbers such as wisteria and clematis. There is still time to plant out wallflowers, forget-me-nots, winter pansies etc. Use only the strongest plants and discard the runts. Plant quite deeply, so that wind-rock does not loosen the new plants. Whilst on about planting good quality bulbs such as daffodils, crocuses, fritillarias, erythroniums and irises should be planted early in the month whereas tulips can be planted later in the month and even into early November. (Daffodils can be planted much later but don’t do quite as well)

Rose hips can be left as a source of food for the wildlife in your garden as can other flower seeds so before you follow my earlier advice and cut back and tidy up everything sit back and consider your options, I find a cuppa helps while I contemplate conflicting advice!

Small mammals will be starting to hibernate, so you could leave some of those leaves for the hedgehogs or give them a helping hand by piling them up or make them a hibernation box. Corrugated iron or plastic laid on the soil can provide hidey holes for small reptiles, amphibians and mammals to hibernate in.

Christmas is now beginning to appear on most peoples’ radar with travel arrangements, who is going to have aunty Nelly, what to buy your nearest and dearest? So beat the crowds and avoid the Christmas rush; (or is that the Christmas crush?) by starting on your Christmas shopping now. You can relax at home and shop using the internet, or order from mail order catalogues etc. Seeing as Father Christmas didn’t get me a bottle of my favourite malt I’ll have to drop some well defined hints about garden equipment and accessories, which lets face it, any keen gardener such as you, your family and friends will love!