A bit dramatic perhaps, but we’ve reached the traditional winter months with their shorter days and darker nights, when temperatures have usually dropped and the wind and wet makes being out in the garden a less than pleasurable experience. For some, bleak indeed.

However, for hardier souls, less trepidatious about a few degrees here or there or a bit of wind, there remain a few jobs to keep the garden at its best.

With many trees and shrubs in winter dormancy, you can give them a prune now. Wisteria is an important one, following up the summer prune (where you cut back those whips to six or seven buds). Now is the time to cut back further to one or two buds – I usually do two, so there’s a spare if one fails. These summer and winter prunes will help wisteria flower well next year.

You can also winter prune apple and pear trees to improve their shape with some judicious cuts (there’s something about being able to chuck a hat – or possibly a pigeon? – through the branches). Otherwise just look for diseased branches or crossed ones which might rub together, damaging bark and letting disease in.

I want to replant everything in one of my larger borders ahead of the new season, so will hope for weather that’s good enough to be digging everything out and putting it into better position. There are some large peonies that aren’t flowering well, which is probably because a few years of mulching has buried the eyes too deeply. Digging them up, perhaps splitting a few, before replanting them more shallowly will help them put on a better show. I also need to move some eupatorium to the back of the border as they reach nearly 8ft tall by the end of summer and are preventing a climbing red rose from seeing the sun.

Provided the ground isn’t absolutely sodden, I’ll be in the apiary; giving it a good weed, turning the compost bins and doing some cutting back while the bees are clustered and much less active. I’ll check they’ve got feed (fondant and pollen patties) in case winter is mild and they need the energy boost after some short cleansing trips out of the hive.

I started forcing some prepared hyacinth bulbs back in October so they should be ready to bring indoors this month, and should come into flower for Christmas, filling the house with their heady scent.

For ‘inside times’ – and yes, there will be plenty of those for me too – there will be fireside trawling through catalogues to see if there is a new plant I absolutely must have. I’ve been inspired by our October speaker from Benton End Flower Farm, so will be looking at seed catalogues for some annual flowers to grow next year, while January is usually pre-orders for dahlia tubers. There’s always room for another dahlia or two surely.

I generally enjoy these months after struggling through October and November when the days get shorter, wetter and windier. Although the days are even shorter of course (and darker) Christmas brings not just sparkle, but also the shortest day and increasing light as the days move towards spring and the chance to be planting and growing again.

While I confess I’m not the first person you’d turn to for the latest wellbeing fad, I am a huge believer in the benefits of gardening. Increasing our exposure to natural light – even on overcast days – can lift the mood. An early riser, I’m glad that morning light is especially helpful for resetting the body clock. I’ve found having two Scottish terriers who insist on an early walk is great for easing into the day.

The gentle physical activity of pruning, tidying and mulching increases circulation and body temperature and gets the blood pumping to combat lethargy. The mild activity also releases endorphins, our body’s natural mood enhancers. Just being outside in nature or tending to natural things (even indoor plants if you really can’t bear to be out) lowers the stress hormone cortisol.

So if you struggle in these winter months, what about getting a feeder to watch the variety of grateful birds that visit your garden or taking a walk in a local arboretum (like the 200-acre one at Markshall) or a winter garden (Hyde Hall, Cambridge University Botanic Garden or Anglesey Abbey are some good ones in the region).

Have a happy Christmas gardeners and see you in the new year.

The days are shorter now and things are quieter in the garden in November. There are still a few things flowering, including deep purple Aster ageratoides ‘Ezo Murasaki’, which is a good height and – unlike some asters I’ve found – has good looking foliage that gives the plants a nice bushy look. The dahlias are done and I’ll dig up my favourites to store this month, but they’ve been replaced by a wonderful, yet nameless, small-flowered pink chrysanthemum which is very hardy and bulks up each year.

If you ordered some spring-flowering bulbs, they’ll probably have arrived by now and November is a good time to get them in the soil. Daffodils will have been happy going into the ground in October, but it’s better to wait until November if you’re planting tulips. The colder weather and soil will reduce the chance of the plants being damaged by tulip fire which twists, withers and distorts leaves. Make sure the soil is free draining (add some grit if you have heavier soil or clay) and plant bulbs deeply – about three times their height – which will protect them from hard ground frosts and encourage taller, stronger stems.

I like to wait until November so that I can put bulbs into the gaps left when I lift my dahlias. Then when the bulbs have finished around May, I’ll pop the dahlias tubers back in.

As well as lifting dahlias and planting bulbs, of course there are a few other jobs to get done this month.

November is the start of bare-root season when dormant shrubs can be bought more cheaply and you can find a wider range of fruit and ornamental trees, native hedging and roses. Because the top of the rose isn’t growing, the plant can put all its energy into establishing its roots in soil that retains a little bit of warmth, so it has a firmer foundation for strong growth in spring.

Without pots of soil to sit in, bare-root plants may look unimpressive when they arrive; but let them soak in a bucket of water for a couple of hours while you dig a hole big enough for the roots spread out. Make a small mound of soil in the centre for the roots of the plant to sit on then carefully backfill and firm in well.

Prepare your existing roses for winter by giving them a light prune (take off about a third) to prevent damage caused to roots by heavy winds rocking them in the soil. If the plant is too tall, the roots can be loosened and damaged or killed. Also prune late-flowering shrubs like buddleja to reduce their height before the worst of the weather hits.

However, be careful not to prune spring-flowering (before June) shrubs like spiraea or deutzia which will produce next year’s flowers on the new growth they put on this year.

If you want more evergreen shrubs – holly and bay trees, cotoneaster, privet and box hedging for instance – this is still a good time to take hardwood cuttings. Choose healthy shoots of this year’s growth and cut into sections 15-30cm long. Use a sloping cut just above a bud at the top and a straight cut at the bottom, just below a bud.

Strip most of the leaves except a set at the very top. Dip the bottom into some hormone rooting powder and insert about two-thirds of the cutting into free-draining compost. I put them in pots so I can put them out of the way and mostly forget about them. Check occasionally to ensure they don’t dry out. You should see some new growth as we head into spring, but they usually aren’t ready to pot on until summer.

After that, there’s only one other job I really have to do – and that’s pick a real Christmas tree for collection and decorating in December.

Happy gardening!

It certainly feels like autumn now with morning temperatures dipping into single figures, September’s equinox behind us and evenings shortening as we prepare to turn the clocks back at the end of this month.

In the garden, I’ve still got a few roses blooming but they’ll fade before the middle of the month, and the foliage of Fuchsia magellanica var. gracilis ‘Aurea’ is a brilliant golden splash in the border with its small flowers like little red jewels. There are the flat, deep pink heads of sedum (now called the almost unpronounceable hylotelephium) attracting my bees and other pollinators, plus salvias – the deep purple and black ‘Amistad’ and the brilliant pink ‘Cerro Potosi’ – cosmos, chrysanthemums and asters all doing their best before winter settles in.

Dedham’s Horticultural Society also began its new season last month with our Autumn Show which was another great success. We welcomed several people exhibiting for the first time (we hope you all enjoyed the experience and that we might see you again) – and what seemed like more visitors on a sunny day in the village.

Autumn brings an opportunity to think ahead for our Spring Show (21 March) by ordering bulbs for classes from daffodils and tulips to hyacinths and more. If you’re puzzled by the different classes, search ‘daffodil’ on our website for some help.

It’s not all sitting about shopping of course, there’s still plenty to do in the garden as the soil is warm and workable (even if the days are shorter and – knowing Britain – probably wetter too). October is all about tidying up and preparation, protection and planting for the year (and years) to come.

Here in my gardening, I’m cutting down most of my herbaceous perennials as the foliage dies back, though I leave some of the sturdier seedheads that might provide food for birds or shelter for over-wintering beneficial insects, like pollinating bees or the ladybirds and lacewings that eat aphids.

I’ve enjoyed growing strawflowers from seed for the first time this year and I’ll take some of the seeds from this year’s flowers to sow in spring. However, it’s possible to sow hardy annual seeds – cornflowers, larkspur, Ammi umbellifers and some poppies – at this time of year as most will make it through winter and actually welcome a period of cold to germinate. You can sow them outdoors where they are to flower or in pots and trays and keep them in a sheltered spot.

As I go through the beds and borders, I’m also checking to see if any of my summer perennials can be divided and planted elsewhere in the garden or used to bulk up existing displays. This works well with daylilies, hostas and geraniums and has the added benefit of making the original plant healthier. Just make sure to replant the divisions as soon as you can and water them in well.

I’ll protect tender plants by moving my pelargoniums into a frost-free space. Last year I tried removing them from the soil and storing them ‘bare root’ but I think the frost still got to them as none made it through, so this year I’ll leave them potted up as they enter dormancy. I also decide which of my dahlias to lift and store over winter. Frost and continually wet soil (clay is the worst) can turn the tubers to mush so I usually lift my favourites. I cut down the stems, wash off as much soil as possible and let them dry thoroughly before storing them in cardboard boxes with crumpled newspaper. Sometimes I give them a dust with sulphur powder which helps keep them dry and prevent fungal infections and mould.

If you don’t want to lift your dahlias, you can leave them in the ground. If it’s free-draining and not in a frost pocket, you can give them a helping hand by dumping a bucket of compost on top of them which can prevent frost from reaching the tubers. I leave some of the dahlias that I grow at my allotment in the ground – the fertile soil is very free-draining and most have made it through several winters.

Finally, I’ll turn the compost heaps (there’s three in the garden and four on the allotment, but my sister loves helping with the latter). I add anything I’ve cut back and add some water if the mix is too dry, before turning older green and brown material to aerate the heaps and speed up decomposition. Some of the older compost is now ready to use so I’ve been using it as mulch on the borders where it will suppress weeds and help insulate plants from the worst of winter.

So make some time this month to get outside and burn a few calories in your garden everyone. Enjoy!