October is one of the loveliest and most colourful months of the year. Many flowers are still in bloom; the autumn-flowering bulbs such as colchicums and nerines are at their best and many shrubs and trees are covered with bright berries and coloured leaves. At the beginning of the month there is often an unusually fine spell of weather, with warm, clear sunny days, which shows both countryside and garden at their best.

Harvest fruit and vegetables. Apples and pears should be picked by the end of the month and maincrop carrots and potatoes should be lifted and stored for the winter.

Prepare the garden for winter; clear fallen leaves and other debris, store garden equipment, clean the greenhouse and put insulation in place to conserve heat.#

• Sow hardy annuals, sweet peas and lettuces to overwinter under glass. Sweet peas can also be sown direct in the ground in mild areas and protected with cloches.
• Plant spring-flowering hardy annuals and biennials as soon as possible.
• Plant all evergreens, including conifers, by the end of the month.
• Plant window boxes and hanging baskets for winter interest.
• Plant spring-flowering bulbs in the garden and in containers.
• Plant lilies for summer flowering.
• Plant garlic, spring cabbages and Japanese onions.
• Lift tender bulbs, corms and tubers, such as dahlias and gladioli, and store in frost-free place.
• Check bowls of bulbs planted for winter flowering indoors. Do not let them dry out.
• Put winter protection in place around vulnerable border perennials and shrubs in cold regions. In milder areas this can wait for another month.
• Bring in pelargoniums and half-hardy fuchsias growing in tubs and pots outdoors.
• Net the pool to protect it from autumn leaves.