Five mistakes in the autumn garden clean-up

1. Leaving the leaves on the lawn

Under a thick layer of leaf litter the grass rots within weeks. The season then starts with yellow patches that have to be reseeded.

2. Cutting perennials back too early

Many perennials’ stems and seed heads feed birds through winter and protect the crown from frost. Leave what you can until spring.

3. Skipping the irrigation drain-down

Water left in the pipes freezes, expands and splits the line. The repair in spring costs more than the autumn drain-down.

4. The last cut being too short

4 to 5 cm is right for winter. Grass cut too short has frost-sensitive roots; left too long it goes mouldy under snow.

5. Not mulching the beds

A 5 cm layer of mulch protects the soil from frost heave and means less weeding in spring.