Tales from the potting shed

August

Trim lavender

Keep deadheading

Prune rambling roses summer foliage. If it is not too dry, start to plant spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils, crocus and hyacinths, and sow hardy annuals such as cerinthe, ammi, scabiosa and cornflowers for early summer colour next year.

With the arrival of autumn, there is a slight urgency to start preparing the garden for the colder months ahead. Delicate exotics such as banana plants and tree ferns need to be wrapped in fleece, cannas lifted and returned to the cool dark corner of the shed, and pots raised to prevent waterlogging. Leggy hanging baskets can be emptied, asparagus ferns cut down, and old vegetable crops cleared. Remember to collect seeds from hardy perennials such as astrantia and achillea as these can be sown straight away, and pot up a cheerful display of heather, winter pansies and cyclamen to brighten your doorstep as the nights draw in.

September

Sow hardy annuals

Plant spring bulbs

Lift and divide perennials

October

Store cannas

Clear veg plot

Collect seedheads