Autumn tasks

• Continue preparing beds for planting spring-flowering bulbs.
• Tie up chrysanthemums if you haven't done so already.
• Divide liliums when the leaves are quite yellow and replant by May at the latest.
• Sweet peas are best planted from St Patrick's Day up to Anzac Day.
• Cut back the old leaves of hellebores to promote fresh growth later in winter.
• If you have acidic soil and plants that like alkaline conditions such as lavenders, irises, roses and sweet peas, they will like some garden lime added to the soil around them about now.
• Transplant strawberry runners up until mid-April.
• Cut herbs that are running to seed, chop and freeze in ice-cube trays or plastic zip-lock bags.
• Order roses and bare-rooted trees and shrubs for winter planting. Prepare the ground for them now, especially if you are not exactly sure when your plants will arrive. Dig a generous-sized hole to accommodate the roots without cramming them in. Break up the bottom of the hole to loosen the subsoil but don't bring any of it to the surface. Put plenty of old manure or compost in the hole and work it into the soil in the bottom. Then put the rest of the soil back into the hole until your trees / shrubs arrive. It will be easy to dig out again and will be enriched ready to nurture the roots of your new plant.