Gardening jobs for the week ahead

This month is probably the last chance to finish planting evergreen shrubs – and to complete planting spring bedding.

Finish harvesting apples and pears before the birds make a meal of them or they fall and rot.

Lift and store any threatened summer-flowering bulbs and dahlias – unless you want to gamble on them surviving a winter outdoors, underground.

Clear fallen leaves; leaving them covering the garden encourages the spread of disease and provides homes for many pests.

If the weather allows, dig over empty beds and borders.

Continue to plant spring bulbs such as tulips.

If it’s not too wet and not too cold, lift and divide big clumps of summer-flowering herbaceous perennials, such as phlox (pictured).