The Scottish autumn clock

Autumn arrives early in Scotland, and it arrives unevenly. A garden on high ground in Aberdeenshire or the Borders can take its first sharp frost in late September, while a sheltered coastal plot in Argyll or Fife may coast on into November before the ground is touched. The practical lesson is to work backwards from your own first frost rather than from the calendar on the wall.

Two forces drive the season here: light and water. Daylight falls away quickly through October, so growth slows and plants stop repairing themselves as readily. At the same time the rain arrives in earnest, and soil that has been wet since August holds the cold far longer than dry ground. Everything below is about getting ahead of those two things while the ground is still workable and the days are still long enough to be pleasant.

Clear the leaves, but keep them

Fallen leaves are the single biggest autumn job, and the most rewarding if you treat them as a resource rather than rubbish. Left on a lawn through a wet Scottish winter, they smother the grass and encourage moss and disease. Sweep or rake them every week or so during peak fall, particularly after a windy night, and pay extra attention to corners where the wind piles them up against fences, sheds and the bases of hedges.

• Lawns: a light scattering can be mown over with the blades set high, which chops the leaves small enough to break down in the turf.
• Leaf mould: stuff wet leaves into old builder's bags or a simple wire ring, pierce the bags a few times, and leave them for a year or two. Oak and beech take longest; sycamore and lime break down fastest.
• Borders: a thin layer of leaves around shrubs and perennials is free insulation, but keep it clear of the crowns of alpines and anything prone to rotting off in wet cold.

While you are up the ladder, clear the gutters and downpipes. A blocked downpipe in a storm is how water ends up against a house wall, and it is far easier to deal with in October than in January.

Plant spring bulbs now

Bulbs are the best value in Scottish gardening. They need a period of cold to perform, which means our winters suit them far better than they suit most things we try to grow. Plant daffodils and narcissi from September into October, crocus and snowdrops soon after, and tulips as late as November — a late planting helps avoid the fungal problems that tulips suffer in wet ground.

As a rule of thumb, set each bulb at roughly three times its own depth. In heavy clay, plant slightly shallower and sit each bulb on a handful of grit or sharp sand so it never stands in a puddle. In sandy or thin soils, go deeper and add compost to hold moisture through spring.

• Pots: use a gritty, free-draining compost and raise containers onto pot feet so they do not freeze solid to the ground.
• Wildlife: squirrels and mice will take tulip and crocus bulbs. A sheet of chicken wire laid just below the surface, or a layer of prickly holly leaves, usually settles the argument.
• Naturalising: small narcissi and snowdrops planted in rough grass will multiply for decades if you leave the foliage to die back for six weeks before mowing.

Protect tender plants before the first hard frost

The first frost is often a light one, and it is a useful warning rather than a disaster. Use it to trigger the real work. Anything in a pot is most at risk, because roots have no soil mass around them to buffer the cold and a terracotta container can crack outright when its compost freezes.

• Move what you can: bring pelargoniums, citrus, agapanthus and other tender subjects under cover before the end of September where possible. They need light more than warmth, so a cool, bright greenhouse or porch suits them better than a warm dark room.
• Insulate the rest: wrap pots in bubble wrap or hessian, or cluster them together against a house wall in the most sheltered spot you have. Double layers of horticultural fleece will carry most plants through a few degrees of frost, but remove it on mild days to let air circulate.
• Mulch: a 5–8cm layer of bark, compost or well-rotted manure over the root zone of shrubs and perennials protects the crown and roots. Keep it a hand's width clear of stems and trunks to prevent rot.
• Tree ferns and bananas: pack the crown with dry straw and tie the fronds up over it, or wrap the growing point in fleece. This is the difference between a plant that regrows in May and one that does not regrow at all.
• Dahlias and tuberous begonias: let the first blackening frost cut the tops down, then lift the tubers, dry them upside down for a week and store them in barely moist compost in a frost-free shed.

Look after the soil and the lawn

Autumn is the best time of year to improve soil in Scotland, because the worms and the weather will work the organic matter in for you over winter. Spread compost or well-rotted manure over beds and let the rain wash it down. Do not dig or walk on heavy wet soil — the structure you destroy in one afternoon in November takes years to repair. Work from boards if you must cross a bed.

Lawns benefit from a gentle autumn feed and a final cut with the blades raised, but avoid cutting wet grass, which tears rather than slices. If moss is a persistent problem, the real answer is usually drainage or shade rather than any feed.

Prepare the outdoor living space

Before the storms arrive, walk the garden with a critical eye. Check fence posts, wiggle the greenhouse glazing clips, and make sure nothing loose is sitting where a south-westerly gale can pick it up. Clean and oil the barbecue, store garden furniture under cover or bring cushions indoors, and stack firewood off the ground with a cover on top but air at the sides.

Finally, drain hosepipes, store tools clean and dry, and find the fleece and the snow shovel now rather than in the dark in December. A garden put to bed properly in October is a garden that starts spring with a head start — and there is a real pleasure in doing that work with the last of the light and the smell of wet leaves around you.