Autumn Garden Jobs: 7 Things to Do Before Winter
There’s something lovely about tackling a few autumn garden jobs at this time of year. The colours change, the air feels fresher and, on a dry afternoon, it’s still possible to sit outside with a hot drink and enjoy it all.
But autumn is also the perfect time to tackle a few autumn garden jobs before cold, wet weather really sets in.
The good news is that you don’t need to spend an entire weekend rushing around with a rake and a pair of secateurs. A few simple jobs now can protect your plants, make the garden safer and save you quite a bit of work when spring arrives.
So pull on a warm coat, make yourself a cuppa and let’s start with the jobs worth doing before winter.
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1. Clear Fallen Leaves — But Don’t Clear Everything
When the leaves start falling in earnest, it can feel as though you’ve only just finished clearing them before the lawn disappears again.
It’s worth removing thick layers of wet leaves from lawns, paths and patios. Left sitting on grass, they can block out light and create damp patches, while soggy leaves on paths can quickly become slippery.
But you don’t have to make the entire garden spotless.
Leaves tucked beneath hedges, around established plants or in a quiet corner of the garden can provide useful shelter for insects and other small garden visitors through the colder months.
You could even make a simple leaf pile in an undisturbed corner and leave nature to do the rest.
Make leaf clearing easier: If you have lots of leaves to deal with, a long-handled leaf grabber can save a surprising amount of bending. It lets you scoop up larger piles while staying more upright — particularly welcome if your back starts complaining long before the leaves have disappeared.
Smart Buy Guide tip: If you have lots of trees, a lightweight leaf grabber or garden leaf scoop can make clearing large piles much easier on your back — and considerably quicker than trying to pick everything up by hand.
2. Give Plants a Sensible Autumn Tidy
Autumn can bring out the enthusiastic gardener in us. Armed with secateurs, it’s tempting to march around cutting everything back until the borders look wonderfully neat.
Try to resist!
Start by removing obviously dead, diseased or damaged growth and tidying plants that have collapsed across paths or neighbouring plants.
But plenty of healthy stems and seed heads can stay where they are for now. They can provide food and shelter for wildlife, and on a frosty winter morning they can look surprisingly beautiful too.
Tender plants may need a little more attention. Move vulnerable pots somewhere sheltered if you can, and keep an eye on the weather forecast as temperatures drop.
The aim isn’t to put the whole garden to bed in one afternoon. It’s simply to give it a gentle tidy and deal with anything that could cause problems over winter.
And if you happen to finish early enough for a hot drink outside afterwards, I’d call that excellent garden management.
3. Autumn Garden Jobs: Protect Pots Before the Frost Arrives
Containers can be surprisingly vulnerable during winter. It isn’t only the plants we need to think about — repeated freezing and thawing can be hard on some pots too.
Start by moving your most vulnerable containers to a more sheltered position. Somewhere close to the house or protected from the worst of the wind can make a difference.
It’s also a good idea to raise pots slightly off the ground so excess water can drain away rather than collecting around the bottom. Pot feet are a simple solution and can be particularly useful on patios.
Help pots drain properly: Garden Gecko pot feet raise containers slightly above the patio, helping excess water drain away. They’re a simple, reusable solution and much neater than trying to balance pots on whatever happens to be lurking in the shed.
For plants that need a little extra protection, horticultural fleece can help during spells of cold weather. You can also wrap larger pots to insulate the roots.
Don’t forget watering altogether, either. Containers can still dry out during winter, particularly if they’re tucked under cover, although they’ll usually need far less water than they did during summer.
For more ideas on making watering easier throughout the year, have a look at our garden watering gadgets guide.
Smart Buy Guide tip: Before buying anything new, check what you already have in the shed. Old fleece, bubble wrap or even suitable packing material may be perfectly useful for protecting containers for another winter.
4. Clean and Store Your Garden Tools
By the end of summer, our garden tools have usually worked rather harder than we realise.
Before they disappear into the shed for winter, give spades, forks, trowels and secateurs a quick clean. Remove dried-on soil and plant debris, then make sure everything is dry before putting it away.
It’s also worth checking wooden handles for rough patches or cracks and looking over metal tools for signs of rust.
Secateurs and other cutting tools deserve particular attention. Clean blades make gardening easier and help you make neater cuts, so autumn is a good opportunity to clean and sharpen them ready for next year.
Give blunt tools a new lease of life: A simple Spear & Jackson Razorsharp tool sharpener can help keep secateurs and other garden blades in better condition. If you’ve ever tried pruning with blunt secateurs, you’ll know how frustrating it can be — sometimes maintaining the tools you already own is much better than replacing them.
And while you’re in the shed, take five minutes to put things back where you can actually find them.
There is nothing quite like spending twenty minutes next spring looking for the hand fork you were certain was hanging on the wall.
Possible useful buy: A simple garden tool cleaning or sharpening kit could earn its place here — particularly something that can be used year after year rather than another gadget destined for the back of the shed.
5.Autumn Garden Jobs: Preparing Garden Furniture for Winter
Garden furniture can easily be forgotten once the days get cooler. One week you’re sitting outside enjoying a cup of coffee; the next, it’s pouring with rain, and the chairs haven’t moved for a fortnight.
Before winter weather really takes hold, give your furniture a little attention.
Brush away leaves and dirt, clean it according to the material and make sure it’s properly dry before covering or storing it. If you have somewhere dry to put smaller chairs, cushions and accessories, now is a good time to move them.
Furniture that has to remain outside may benefit from a good-quality weatherproof cover. Choose one that fits properly and can be secured, rather than something likely to take off across the garden during the first autumn gale.
Check cushions too. Even those described as outdoor cushions will usually last longer if they spend the wettest months somewhere clean and dry.
Smart Buy Guide tip: Don’t pack damp cushions away in a shed or storage box. Let them dry thoroughly first, or you could uncover a rather unpleasant surprise in spring.
And don’t feel that preparing for winter means you have to stop using the garden altogether. Keep one comfortable chair somewhere accessible if you enjoy sitting outside on those crisp, bright autumn days.
If you’re not quite ready to retreat indoors, there are plenty of simple ways to enjoy your garden in autumn, even when the temperature starts to drop.
No rule says the garden closes at the end of summer.
6. Make Helping Wildlife One of Your Autumn Garden Jobs
As the garden becomes quieter, autumn is a good time to think about the creatures that share it with us.
One of the easiest things you can do is not tidy too much.
A small pile of leaves, hollow stems and undisturbed corners can provide useful places for insects and other wildlife to shelter. Seed heads left standing may also provide natural food for birds.
The RHS also has some useful advice on helping garden wildlife through winter, including providing shelter, food and fresh water during the colder months.
If you feed garden birds, clean feeders regularly and keep fresh water available. Water can be surprisingly important during colder weather, particularly when natural sources freeze.
Autumn is also a good time to look at where your feeders are positioned. Birds need somewhere they can feed while still being able to spot approaching danger, so a little thought about location can make your feeding area more useful.
And if squirrels regard your carefully stocked bird feeder as their personal breakfast buffet, you may need to accept that negotiations have broken down.
Smart Buy Guide tip: Rather than constantly adding more feeders, start with one that suits the birds you regularly see in your garden. A sturdy feeder that’s easy to clean is usually a better buy than several fiddly ones you eventually stop using.
If you’re lucky enough to have visiting robins, blue tits, sparrows or other small birds, keeping food, water and a little shelter available can make the winter garden feel far from empty.
7. Autumn Garden Jobs for Darker Evenings
As the evenings draw in, little problems around the garden become much more noticeable — usually when you nearly trip over one of them.
Take a quick walk around while it’s still light and check paths, steps and patios for anything that could become slippery or awkward during wet weather. Sweep away soggy leaves, move trailing pots out of walkways and look for uneven paving or other obvious trip hazards.
Outdoor lighting is worth checking too. Clean dirty solar panels, replace anything that has stopped working and make sure the areas you regularly use — particularly steps, gates and the route to the shed or bins — have enough light.
Add a little light to paths and borders: These outdoor solar path lights can add gentle illumination without outdoor wiring. I’ve seen this style used in a neighbouring garden, and they can look surprisingly lovely after dark. I’d choose warm white for a softer, more natural effect.
Solar lights can be useful, but remember that shorter winter days mean they may not charge as effectively as they did during summer. For places where reliable lighting really matters, another type of outdoor light may be a better option.
This is also a good opportunity to put away hoses, watering attachments and other summer equipment you’re unlikely to need regularly. Drain anything that could be damaged by freezing water and store it somewhere sheltered if possible.
Smart Buy Guide tip: Concentrate on the routes you actually use. You don’t need to illuminate the garden like a football stadium — make those everyday journeys safer and easier on dark winter evenings.
A Little Autumn Work Now Can Make Spring Much Easier
The list of autumn garden jobs can seem endless, especially if you have a large garden, but it really doesn’t all need doing at once.
Choose one or two jobs whenever you have a dry afternoon. Clear the slippery leaves today, protect a few pots tomorrow and tackle the shed when you’re feeling particularly brave.
The aim isn’t to create a perfectly tidy garden before winter arrives. It’s to protect what needs protecting, make outdoor areas safer, and leave enough food and shelter for the wildlife that depends on them.
Then put the tools away, make yourself something warm to drink and spend a little time enjoying the garden you’ve just worked so hard to look after.
After all, autumn isn’t the end of the gardening year.
It’s simply the garden changing gear.
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