WEEKEND WORK

Take cuttings from tender perennials such as fuchsia, geranium, helichrysum, osteospermum and felicia. Overwinter them in a greenhouse or a similar shelter.

Start planting daffodil bulbs. They always look better set in groups rather than dotted about singly. If you are planting in grass, choose a spot where the dying daffodil leaves and the ever-lengthening grass will not irritate you to to the extent that you cut the grass too soon.

Cut off and dry seed heads from alliums, Chinese lantern, honesty and poppies and hang them upside-down to dry for winter decorations.

House plants need less food and water as growth slows down. Tuberous rooted begonias and gloxinias should be laid on their sides in a cool greenhouse.

The heavy dews and still air of early autumn may encourage attacks of mildew on Michaelmas daisies, new growth of rose bushes and young forget- me-not plants. Spray with fungicide to keep this unsightly disease under control. Some old varieties of Michaelmas daisy are more prone to mildew than types such as Aster frikartii. If you are tired of battling, dig up old clumps at the end of the flowering season, refresh the soil with compost and bonemeal and plant with mildew-resistant types in spring.