As far as the ornamental garden is concerned, late autumn is one of the quietest times of the year. Most herbaceous plants become completely dormant during the next few weeks, in readiness for the freezing temperatures which start in earnest in early winter, and for lack of light which will become most marked at the same time. Late autumn is traditionally a dull period, when what light there is during the day is often obscured by cloud and sometimes fog.

Since light is needed for plants to manufacture the green colouring matter (chlorophyll) in their leaves and stems, any such growth now will be stunted, pale and extremely vulnerable to cold.

Most of the work is related to finishing off the mid-autumn jobs and doing one of the major jobs that is best done in winter, that of digging, whether single, half-trenching or double digging. Very deep digging is not generally as important as it is in vegetable cultivation and will perhaps only need to be done once every few years, possibly not even then, if the soil is in good condition.

Late autumn and winter are traditionally the times for producing a new lawn from turf, and late autumn is especially suitable, because the soil is still relatively warm and moist without being waterlogged. Laying turf in spring runs the risk of poor knitting of the individual turves as a result of spring drought and drying, cold, east winds and subsequent death of the grass. Summer is generally quite unsuitable unless you are prepared to water frequently and constantly.

A little planting can be done but plant propagation will not be possible, so there will be no seed sowing, and little potting. Plants in the greenhouse and cold frame will need attention, increasingly so, to make sure that they do not become frosted and they get as much light as possible, and as much air as can be managed; a little fresh air at all times is very important.