Gardening in October is entirely dependent on the weather. If there’s an Indian Summer, there is no better time of year to be out in the garden. Main tasks, keep dead heading dahlias to prolong flowering and don’t dig them up until frost blackens them. I have emptied my hanging baskets and filled with violas, primulas,and pansies to create some colour during winter months. It’s a good time to do this now.

The best time to tackle the lawn is September and October. Scarify and re-seed bare patches and aerate. Spring flowering bulbs can be planted. Try planting in containers with smaller bulbs, miniature daffodils Tête à Tête and dwarf tulips. It will be worth a couple hours in garden to see them pop up in the spring. This will be my main job this weekend if the rain keeps off. Then I will start planning for next years open garden with a complete change to the borders, planting more semi tropical and unusual plants. I hope to open in July. Norman