For me the month of September is the most beautiful of all months. In the garden a final fling of saturated and intense coloured flowers are in stark contrast to the mellow parchment of surrounding meadows. The hard light of summer is replaced by a soft warm light, and the low sun pulls and rakes shadows across the garden. September can also bring the first frosts of the season, caught in the layers of flowers and foliage re-contouring the shape. Along with May, September can be the busiest month in the garden; here are just a few things to keep you busy.
Formal evergreen hedges — I’m thinking of yew — are the living architecture of the garden. Their weighty stillness provides the anchor point for the more ephemeral elements to play; and their mass is an important ingredient in the narrative of the garden. You only have a narrow window to cut: any earlier then late August and re-growth will occur, any later than late September and the newly exposed tips will be prone to frost damage.
I like to cut as soon as possible as a newly clipped hedge will inject a solidity and calmness to the scene, a sense of order in the otherwise lush late summer planting. Any pruning needs to be carried out with a sensitive hand; one slip with a powered cutter and a big chunk can be taken from the hedge. If in doubt use hand shears, the small length of blade will make it possible to carve into difficult corners, whereas with petrol or electric cutters you can only work in broad swathes.
2. Lift and divide perennials
Split overcrowded perennials for healthier blooms next season
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In many gardens the beauty relies on the subtle relationships between perennial partners and so constant reworking of intimate flower borders is essential. During the growing season it is easy to see where improvements are needed, but once the foliage turns brown and the plant is felled to the ground you will be thankful if you made a few notes earlier in the season. You will get another opportunity to make changes in March, but if the conditions are right, I prefer moving in autumn, so the plants have time to settle.
Once you have lifted the group, you can split it. Sometimes it is possible to tear the clumps apart, but more often you will need to use two forks. When re-planting, you must not only consider which plant you want where and with what neighbour, but also the size of the group, the spacing between individual plants in the group, the spacing between groups, and the positioning and orientation of the group.
3. Collect seeds
Stop deadheading now — let your plants set seed
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Gathering, drying and sowing seed from your existing stock is a journey of excitement and expectation. Throughout the growing season all plants should be deadheaded regularly to keep them producing flowers over the summer, but from September allow them to have their final fling and to set seed. Remember that plants have adapted successful mechanisms for seed dispersal, so you need to get in there at the right time. With some practice, you can judge just the right moment of ripeness: too early and your sowings are sure to fail; too late and the hungry birds will have their fill. First, carefully cut the selected flower heads and place them upside down in a brown paper bag.
These should be labelled and put in a warm dry place. After a week or so, when your collected flower heads are thoroughly dry, clean them ready for storing. Sometimes all you need to do is shake the flower head and the seed will scatter from the pod, collecting in the bottom of the bag. Other seedpods — such as the Scotch thistle or milk thistle — require more patience. Once cleaned, the next stage is to store the seed until sowing time in spring. To do this each seed type should be poured into separate brown envelopes, labelled, dated and placed somewhere out of the light.
4. Plant bulbs
Bulbs are firmly established as the spring garden’s stalwarts, proving perfect partners for emerging perennials. The success of a spring bulb display depends on you having conviction to plant in sufficient numbers: too meagre and the result will be a dotty effect with no interplay between the groups. September is the month to be tempted by the catalogues and to place your order. The bulbs should be planted as soon as they arrive.
Narcissi start forming roots earlier than most and so should be planted no later than September, whereas tulips can wait until late autumn. Delicate treasures such as Iris reticulata or Scilla siberica are best displayed in pots where their patterning can be admired at eye level. Tulips are ideal planted into gaps in the border or under the dormant skirts of deciduous shrubs. Narcissi work best planted in grass or around trees.
Extracted from Scott Smith’s debut online gardening course, The Art of Gardening at Sissinghurst, which is available from Create Academy from September 25, priced at £147 for lifetime access, createacademy.com
The key jobs to do inside and out by Wayne Perrey, TV carpenter and DIY columnist 
Wayne Perrey
VICKI COUCHMAN FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES
5. Clean and bleed your radiators
In preparation for the big switch on, you need to make sure radiators are working effectively.
The first thing to do is clean all the dust out of the back of them, either with a long radiator duster or you can use the hairdryer trick of blowing the dust from the top, vacuuming the bottom.
Bleeding your radiators is a must at this time of year. Water circulates from the boiler through the radiators to warm the rooms, then returns to the boiler to be reheated. Over time, this water can evaporate, causing trapped air pockets, which may leave the tops of your radiators cold while the bottoms remain hot. This means your boiler has to work harder, increasing your energy costs.
Each radiator has an air release valve at the top where a £2 radiator key fits. First, ensure the heating is off and place an old towel under the valve to catch drips. Then, using the radiator key, slightly open the valve (turn left) to release trapped air. You’ll hear a hissing sound that will get higher in pitch as the air escapes. Once water starts to come out, close the valve (turn right).
Always do this when your radiators are cold. If you release a lot of air, you may need to top up the water in your heating system; consult your boiler manual for guidance.
6. Remove leaves from your gutters
Ensure your gutters are not clogged up by leaves
GETTY IMAGES
With the autumn leaves falling all around your house, now’s the time to check your gutters and clear them out. If they clog and overflow, roof water will run down your walls and potentially cause damp issues inside your home.
Nobody likes climbing up and down ladders, so I recommend getting yourself a telescopic pole with a gutter cleaning brush on the end. This means you can keep your feet firmly on the ground while removing any leaves from your gutter and scraping any debris to a corner, then you only need to go up the ladder when necessary.
If having to clean your gutters from nearby trees is a regular occurrence, it is worth investing in a gutter guard. These are either a fitted mesh that clips along the top of your gutter or a gutter brush, which is a long, spiky, hedgehog-looking device which is pushed into the full length of your gutter. This keeps the leaves on top, where they can dry out, then blow away, leaving water to be able to run freely along your gutters and down your drain pipes.
7. Adjust your uPVC windows to winter mode
Seal your windows to minimise drafts and conserve heat
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Your window units have a winter and a summer mode. In the summer, this allows ventilation around your window, but in winter, you need to adjust this to reduce drafts and heat loss.
On one side of the opened window where the handle is, you will see a few locking pins. You will notice on two of them, there’s a little notch on this pin. If it’s pointing away from the frame, then it’s in summer mode.
Inserting an Allen key into the pin and twisting the notch to the centre or pointing it towards the window frame creates a stronger seal around the window when locked. This is perfect in the colder months.
When you do this, it is also time to make sure your trickle vents at the top of the windows are open. It may seem counterintuitive to close one gap and then open another but these high-positioned trickle vents, which are mandatory on all newly made windows, need to be opened to allow the correct air circulation within the house. This will reduce condensation build-up on your windows.
8. Pack away your gardening tools to avoid rust
Maintaining rust-free gardening tools is easier than you think! Start by cleaning off any dirt, then submerge any rusted metal in distilled white vinegar using a jar or container. If it’s too small, soak a tea towel in vinegar and wrap it around the rusted parts. Allow the vinegar to work its magic for a few hours or even overnight. For stubborn rust spots, scrub with wire wool while wearing gardening gloves to metal splinters.
Once rust-free, wipe wooden handles down with boiled linseed oil, which dries nicely without being sticky. Now, your tools will look as good as new.
• How to fix and protect rusty garden tools
To keep your tools in top condition, try this old gardener’s trick and create a “ponica bucket”: fill a large bucket three-quarters full with coarse sand, then top off the final quarter with linseed oil and mix well. Store your gardening tools in this mix. It lubricates, prevents rust, and sharpens them each time you drop them through the sand. Setting this up ahead of the winter will mean your tools will be well protected even in a damp shed.
9. It’s time to get cosy indoors, says interiors writer Victoria Maw 
Wicker log baskets from the Basket Company, from £45
10. Get the fireplace ready for action
The fireplace feels like the starting point for cosy autumn interiors. If you are lucky enough to have a working one, now is the time to get it in order. Book the chimney sweep, clean the glass on the wood-burner (the best way to do this is with water, newspaper and wood ash), order in logs (The Basket Company has excellent log baskets if you’re in need) and stock up on firelighters and kindling. Make sure you’ve got some fancy matches too — try Archivist for truly gorgeous ones. You want to be ready to go, the minute it is cool enough for a fire. If you love the idea of a wood-burner but don’t have a working chimney, consider a bioethanol stove — they run on liquid fuel and don’t require a flue (Arada have some great-looking ones).
• Can I still have a wood-burning stove?
It’s a great time to restyle the mantelpiece too. Bring in some of the best bits from the garden — seed heads, branches and pine cones. Autumnal mantelscaping is light touch and tasteful so hold back a little — you can go properly crazy with it in December. And for the ultimate in fireside luxury, consider adding an upholstered fender (Susie Watson sells stunning striped kilim ones, £1,495).
• The hot new interiors trend? A posh fireplace seat
11. Make the indoors more fun 
Backgammon set by Not Another Bill, £81
Our days of hanging out in the garden are numbered so now is the time to make the indoors more enticing. And you get extra points if your indoor entertainment is wholesome and aesthetically pleasing. Hunt for good-looking coffee table books to peruse with a glass of wine. You can get some beauties from Amara or, top tip — they are often very reasonably priced in National Trust secondhand bookshops. Or why not get a backgammon set — Not Another Bill has a huge choice in all sorts of colours. Printworks sells lacquered chess sets as well as classic games like pick up sticks and yatzy — all tastefully packaged so they look super stylish on the ottoman too. Invite friends over for a games night, put a record on and feel smug about all of your lo-fi fun.
12. Prep the kitchen for warming suppers 
Cast-iron casserole dishes in Sorbet Rose by Staub, from £89.95 for 16cm
As we transition to the season of soup, stews and hedgerow crumbles, it’s a great time to make sure your kitchen is working hard for you. It is so much easier (and more inspiring) to cook when you have the right equipment. Sit down with your meal planning notebook and think about what sorts of things you’d like to make this month. Do you need a handheld blender for soups, sheet pans or ceramic baking dishes? A large cast-iron casserole dish is a key piece — Staub has introduced a beautiful new Sorbet Rose colourway for pink -lovers (or you can find inexpensive options at Habitat — they have nice colours too). I like the idea of making my kitchen feel more like a cute bistro and less like the scene of drudgery. You could plan kitchen table suppers with candles and simple linens. I’ll be trying to excite my kids into eating a little better with a menu blackboard too.
13. Transition your bedding
Cooler nights and darker mornings mean we tend to spend more time in bed. And this often means — quite rightly — that we become a little more demanding when it comes to comfort. If you remember feeling cold last year, it may be time to invest in a higher tog duvet. Brushed cotton sheets and electric blankets can also ramp up the hygge-factor. Autumn bedding is really a masterclass in layering. Blankets, bed runners and throws are great transitional pieces.
Or, for the ultimate in cosiness, consider getting an eiderdown. They are having something of a renaissance. Worried they give off grandma vibes? Take a look at Cinny’s handmade striped linen eiderdowns filled with duck down. They could not be any more glorious. Or for a less expensive option, try So Souk, for frilled eiderdowns made from hand-blocked cotton — they also sell co-ordinating bedding if you fancy a complete switch-up for autumn.
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