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Four vital jobs for your autumn garden

Autumnal gardening has changed over the years. Many people now don’t bother with clearing flower heads or digging up dahlias. This new-found relaxed approach doesn’t mean that there aren’t some jobs you should be doing over the coming weeks, however.

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Pruning

Set to work pruning bushes, trees and shrubs, which may be easier once leaves have fallen and branch shapes are easier to see. Get some great tips on pruning on the Royal Horticultural Society website at https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/plant-care/pruning but, in general, attempt to work with the tree or shrub’s natural shape and always avoid cutting off any branches halfway along. Instead, make sure that you cut where the smaller branches meet the trunk or a bigger branch.

Look after wildlife

Try to take your local wildlife into account when pottering around your garden this autumn. Instead of sweeping up leaves, for example, just brush them into your borders. Here, they will create a lovely warm mulch which will offer protection for both plants and wildlife. In the same vein, don’t cut back all of your bushes and trees as birds will really appreciate having some lush places to nest in.

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Go potty

Whether you are a novice horticulturist or an expert in grounds maintenance Gloucestershire has some great companies that can help you out around the garden and now is the perfect time to look after your pots and get them ready for next year if you plan to use them again. Give them a good wash and then tidy them away somewhere safe.

When you buy plants, keep the pots as they can come in really useful over future seasons. Plastic pots should be soaked in a bucket of well-diluted bleach, however, in order to prevent cross-infection between plants. Bleach shouldn’t be used on terracotta pots, though, as these may soak it up and, take after the example set by experts such as http://gloucestershiregroundsmaintenance.co.uk and ensure safety for people, plants and pets at all times.

Reuse and recycle

If you find yourself with lots of spare cardboard as you set about Christmas shopping, don’t throw it away or stick it in the recycling bin. Instead, spread some out to cover your empty vegetable beds. The result is that you will prevent light getting to weed seeds and over time the cardboard covering should simply mulch down.