活動／戦闘 計画（する）: Nigel Colborn’s 必須の 職業s for your garden this week

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Autumn has been 穏やかな and 工場／植物s are still growing. If you have rough grass anywhere, perhaps の中で fruit trees or in a wild part of your garden, it may need a final pre-winter 削減（する）.

This is important where grass is 工場／植物d with naturalised bulbs -特に little ones such as crocuses or snowdrops.

Cutting now should leave you with a short, even sward. If the 天候 turns seasonably colder, your grass should stay reasonably short until next March. That will enable late winter bulbs to show up beautifully.

This week Nigel Colborn advises gardeners to 削減（する） their grass before the 天候 gets colder and says after it should stay reasonably short until next March (とじ込み／提出する image)

If your grass has become undesirably long and is 気が進まない to 乾燥した，日照りの, wait for a sunny, breezy day. Then make your first 削減（する） with mower blades 始める，決める high. If necessary, rake up the mowings. Follow with a second, shorter 削減（する）, preferably running at 権利 angles to the previous one.

Depending on the 天候, 罰金 lawns may need more 正規の／正選手 cutting for a little while longer.

Try not to mow when sharp 霜 is 予測（する）, 特に for the night after cutting. And never shave your lawn too closely this late in the year. Short grass can encourage moss infestation.

It's still not too late to 修理 損失d lawn 辛勝する／優位s or re-turf small worn areas. Choose 穏やかな 天候 for that. Make sure the ground is not saturated or waterlogged and don't 料金d your lawn now -it's too late for the grass to （問題を）取り上げる the nutrients.?

STORE DAHLIAS?

It's time to start 解除するing dahlias. 削減（する） them 支援する, leaving 10-15cm of 茎・取り除く 大（公）使館員d to the tubers. 蓄える／店 in trays covered with 国／地域 or used potting compost to keep them 冷静な／正味の and moist, and put them somewhere 冷淡な but 霜-解放する／自由な.?

Check them during winter and 除去する any that show 調印するs of rotting. Or 工場／植物 解除するd dahlias in large マリファナs using ordinary 国／地域 or potting compost. Keep the マリファナs 霜-解放する／自由な and damp only.

PLANT OF THE WEEK

SEDUM SPECTABILE 'BRILLIANT' GROUP

Here's a beautiful, long-継続している perennial with 広大な／多数の／重要な 野性生物 value. Unlike most sedums which sprawl, this one produces upright 茎・取り除くs with jade-green, fleshy leaves.?

In the Brilliant variety, the flowers come in an 激しい hue. Even when they fade, the seed 長，率いるs 保持する some of that colour, darkening to a dusky russet. Sedum flowers are also irresistible to バタフライs, such as red 海軍大将s, small tortoiseshells and peacocks.

Grow tall sedums in 井戸／弁護士席-drained 国／地域 in 十分な sun. To 支える vigour, 解除する your 工場／植物s and 分裂（する） them every third year.

宣伝

In 穏やかな areas, you can leave dahlias in the ground. 削減（する） the 最高の，を越すs 支援する and lay a mulch over them for extra 保護.

PROTECT FUCHSIAS?

Fuchsias which are kept outdoors will lose their charm over the coming weeks.

堅い varieties based on the hardy F. magellanica may still carry flowers, but most will turn 活動停止中の when the 天候 turns 冷淡な.

It's best not to prune now. Instead, 保護する the roots with mulch.

In March, 削減（する） all old 茎・取り除くs 支援する.

The 公式の／役人 推薦 is to 削減（する） just above the lowest plump buds.

With vigorous varieties, it's 罰金 to 削減（する） 負かす／撃墜する to ground level.

QUESTION?

We have a glut of butternut squashes from our allotment. How long will they last and what's the best way to 蓄える／店 them??

Mrs 物陰／風下, Somerset.

If you 収穫 your squashes quickly and 蓄える／店 them carefully, they should last up to six months.

Squashes must be 円熟した and undamaged when you gather them. They should be 許すd to 'cure' after 収穫 by 存在 laid out in the sun, or in a 乾燥した，日照りの 温室.

Eat the 損失d squashes first. 蓄える／店 the undamaged ones in a 冷静な／正味の, 乾燥した，日照りの and airy position.