As summer's heatwaves fade and autumn weather settles in, two named storms are expected to hit parts of the UK this weekend, bringing downpours, strong winds, and even snow in some areas. For affected regions, it's time to take down hanging baskets, move lightweight items into shelter, and monitor official weather warnings. For everyone else, it's a prompt to prepare gardens for colder months, as the first frost typically arrives in England and Wales from early November.
Pick vegetables before rain and frost
Guy Barter, chief horticulturist at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), advises gathering vegetables before rain and frost spoil them. Potatoes, pumpkins, squash, and tomatoes are especially precious this year after dry spells left crops light. Green tomatoes may ripen in a warm place unless too green, in which case green tomato chutney can avoid wasting them. Leftover cucumbers can make tasty pickle.
Root vegetables can remain in the ground until December, Barter explains. After that, cover carrots with cardboard to exclude frost and store beetroot, celeriac, and turnips indoors in boxes of sand in cold regions. Parsnips and swedes shrug off frosts and can be left in place. Any remaining fruit should be brought inside the house now.
Trim herbaceous plants but not too early
Don't cut back herbaceous plants too early just because they don't look attractive, Barter warns, as they can look quite dramatic covered in frost. Evergreen plants, such as red hot pokers, should be left untrimmed, with dead leaves removed in spring. Tender plants like pelargoniums should be dug up and brought indoors; if in pots, move them to a bright, frost-free spot.
Canna rootstocks and dahlia tubers are also candidates to bring indoors, Barter adds. In milder regions, dahlias can survive winter outdoors in well-drained soil, potentially protected with bark chips. Bark chips can also protect the base of fuchsia plants, which can regrow after frost if their stem bases aren't killed by cold.
Apply mulch and shelter sensitive plants
Once enough rain has fallen to deeply wet the soil, apply mulch wherever possible, Barter urges. This suppresses weeds and helps drought-proof the garden in case of more dry weather next year. Wood and bark chips are ideal for hedges, shrubs, and trees, while compost and composted manure suit roses, beds, and borders.
If plants can't be brought inside, potted ones like agapanthus or salvias need shelter against walls. Plants in the ground should be wrapped with fleece, ideally biodegradable or recycled, supported by stakes. Barter suggests packing straw round banana plants for extra protection and excluding rain with a reclaimed plastic cap.
Rake leaves and patch bare lawns
Barter recommends raking leaves up from time to time to avoid them smothering border plants and lawns. Raking them beneath trees and shrubs, with a mulch covering to prevent wind dispersal, recycles them into the soil where they support worms and other soil organisms, increasing soil health.
Patch bare areas and worn edges of lawns, Barter advises, but leave lawn seed sowing until spring. Brush worm casts to avoid smearing; worms have been scarce in the heat and drought but will be more readily seen now.
