Autumn garden care and winter preparation
Prepare the garden for how you will use it through winter. Prioritise access, decide what to do with leaves and review the work that should continue after regular mowing slows.
Prioritise the routes you still use
The gate, bins, shed and back door may remain in daily use even when the sitting area does not. Put those routes at the top of your garden list. Distinguish loose leaves and plant material from damaged paving or other repair issues; a tidy-up is not a substitute for repairing an unsafe surface.
If help is being booked, explain which routes need attention and whether there are steps, shared entrances or access restrictions. Photographs make this much clearer than describing the whole garden as untidy.
Decide where the leaves belong
Separate the decision to gather leaves from the decision to dispose of them. You might retain suitable leaves for leafmould, use an approved council collection route or agree private green-waste removal. Make sure the selected option has enough space and suits the material.
Do not assume one visit will address every leaf that falls later. Agree whether you need a single tidy-up or further attention as conditions change. Record the areas that matter rather than asking for a permanently leaf-free garden.
Review the lawn before ordering treatments
The RHS autumn lawn-care guide describes options such as scarifying, aerating and repair, while noting that not every task is needed every year. Assessment should determine the work; a seasonal checklist is not a reason to apply every treatment.
Those specialist tasks are not automatically part of PW Gardening Service’s mowing offer. Discuss the actual requirement and confirm capability and scope separately. For the mowing decision itself, use when to start and stop cutting grass.
Make a retention list for the beds
Record plants and areas you want left intact, and flag anything whose seasonal treatment you are unsure about. Do not treat all standing growth as waste. If a plant needs identification or specific pruning advice, resolve that before authorising cutting back.
List pot moving, planting and any material purchases separately. Agree the destination and access before asking someone to move a container; a photograph does not reveal its weight or whether the route is suitable.
Leave a clear winter handover
Write down what was completed, what remains and who is responsible for the next check. Include access instructions and how to arrange occasional help after the usual maintenance round changes. If several people share the garden, make sure they are working from the same list.
Our maintenance checklist helps keep this brief. PW Gardening Service provides garden upkeep and one-off tidying across its coverage area. Send your enquiry with photographs and the work you want prioritised.
Book a gardener in Lewisham today
Tell us what the garden needs and we will come back with a price. A photo helps more than a description. Quotes are free and you are not committed to anything by asking.