The leaf fall is accelerating now with mainly oak leaves clinging on. Once the colder weather arrives and we have had a few sharp frosts, even those most stubborn of leaves will fall.
If these leaves land on your lawn don't let them rest for too long otherwise the poor light and damp conditions, together with the worms below, will contrive to turn the grass surface into a muddy mess.
Oak leaves will take a while to break down so if you can mix them with a little green waste and some light paper (and pee on the compost heap) it will help to speed up the rotting process.
Roses will be all but finished so start to move from dead-heading to light pruning. I always like to reduce stems by one third and cut out stems that have , or starting to, die back.
I wouldn't be too aggressive because it could over-stimulate the roses into sending out new shoots which could be burnt off if the weather turns too cold.
Once done, add a good dose of well rotted horse or cow manure as a soil conditioning mulch. Don't think of it as a weed suppressant - what we want to do is work with the worms.
Worms will drag the organic matter deeper into the soil in and around the roots - as they digest, a rich silty soil mixture is excreted into their burrows which will create an easy passage for new roots in the Spring and a source of nutrient for the roses. This method of soil conditioning/feeding works well with most plants, trees and shrubs.
Old damp leaf mould can be combined with manure to compliment its feeding qualities. Leaf mould is also a great (although temporary) weed suppressant too.
A variety of organic or artificial plants tonics can be added as a dressing or soil drench to feed plants and reinvigorate the soil through the Winter.
Sulphate of iron or a sequestrene tonic helps balance iron and/or manganese deficiencies.
If you are like me you might still have the remains of the summer flowering tubs hanging in there. Living 600 miles south of London I can often keep geraniums flowering well into November - new flower buds are still being produced even now but I don't expect the flowers to develop fully.
Cold weather is coming and my geranium leaves' margins have turned brown so the trade-off just for a few later flowers is not worth pursuing. I usually have a few tubs of winter flowering pansies planted out by now but I am a bit slow this year.
Time to clean out the tubs and refresh the compost. Wallflowers, tulips, daffodils etc can be planted as long as you don't leave it too late.
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