● Finish taking late cuttings from fuchsias, verbena and other tender perennials.

● Lift tender perennials such as argyranthemums and pelargoniums, to be overwintered under cover.

● Bring in house plants that have been standing outdoors in the summer, before they succumb to cooler weather.

● Plant daffodil bulbs, which begin their root growth earlier than most bulbs.

● Plant out spring-flowering biennials including wallflowers and forget-me-nots in their positions.

● Store apples and pears for use over the winter.

● Continue to pick sweet peas to encourage further flowers.

● Plant dwarf bulbs such as crocus in lawns and grassy banks and scillas and chionodoxas in pots.

● Protect the ripening fruit of plums and cherries from birds and squirrels. Pick the fruit as it becomes ripe but watch out for wasps when picking.

● Visit dahlia shows to identify new varieties you’d like to grow.

● Lift and divide five-year-old clumps of perennial herbs such as bergamot and lemon balm, discarding the old woody centres and replanting in new positions.