It's time for an autumn tidy up in the garden

Invest in pruning tools

Some pruning can be done in autumn to get rid of dead wood and help shape shrubs and trees for the following year. Secateurs are essential for this job.

There are two types: anvil and bypass. The anvil works on the principle of a sharp blade cutting down on to an anvil, but the cutting blade needs to be kept really sharp for it to be effective. Bypass secateurs work by a sharp curved blade bypassing a curved cutting plate, severing a branch without much effort.

You shouldn’t be trying to cut a branch with a diameter thicker than 1cm with secateurs. For thicker branches you should opt for a pruning saw such as the Silky, a Japanese blade with teeth that have three razor-edged facets which cut smoothly and don’t leave loose edges.

There are pocket types available where the blade folds into the handle until you need to use it, making them handy for carrying around routinely.

If you are hard-pruning overgrown shrubs, loppers are invaluable. Some versions come with extendable arms for those branches which are just out of reach. Loppers are ideal for cutting out old congested wood from inside thorny shrubs such as berberis and roses, but they are also good for reducing the size of large branches you have already cut off with the saw, to make them more manageable to take to your local recycling centre.

Long-reach pruning

Pole pruners are also useful when it comes to shrubs that are too tall to reach and the ground’s too uneven to safely place a ladder on. These are basically secateurs attached to an extendable pole, and are operated by a trigger at the gardener’s end of the pole. You may not be able to cut as accurately as you’d like, but it won’t matter if the trees or shrubs are vigorous.

Rake it up

If you have plenty of trees, you’re going to need a decent lawn rake to gather up the fallen leaves. If not dealt with, leaves can harbour pests and diseases over winter and cause problems next year.

Use either a wide fan-shaped springy metal rake for the job or a similar plastic version. The important thing is that the rake achieves a good span of the area and preferably has forks which curve inwards at the end to allow a maximum sweep. Make sure your rake has a strong, long handle.

If you want to scarify your lawn, a springtine rake is ideal for the job as it will remove moss and thatch as you rake, allowing new shoots through in spring. You may also want to use a garden fork to make holes in the lawn to aerate it and reduce compaction. Fill these holes with sharp sand to aid drainage.

Mow away problems

Lawnmowers can help reduce problems with leaves on the lawn. If you just raise the blades and mow the grass, the leaves should be chopped up and collected in the grass box, ready for composting.

If your grass edges have become out of control and invaded by weeds, the perfect tool for tackling rough areas is a brushcutter, a bladed tool which will tackle long grass, brambles, weeds and nettles.

Trim hedges

Give your hedges a trim before the winter months, but make sure you leave enough greenery for birds to nest in and be careful where you trim in case you disturb any wildlife. Electric hedge trimmers do the job if you have a power source handy and aren’t prone to cutting through cables, but there are equally good battery-powered hedge trimmers on the market which provide just as good a cut.

Blow leaves away

If you have a larger area, use a leaf blower to direct leaves into a pile before bagging them up for the compost bin or to make leaf mould which can be used as a mulch on beds and borders. If you have a lot of garden debris such as thick twigs and logs you want to break down, it might be worth investing in a shredder. These reduce thicker clippings into an ideal mulch for your plants, but don’t put in seeding weeds, spiny prunings or diseased plants. The disadvantage of these is that they are pretty noisy, so the investment may not go down well with the neighbours.