BY THE beginning of October growth in the garden has slowed right down, and you might well be tempted to abandon outdoor work until next year.

But with just a little tweaking and manicuring, the garden can be persuaded to keep on looking good throughout this month and into the next.

I'm not just talking about autumn colour, those trees and shrubs whose leaves change to red, orange and yellow before dropping off.

I'm also talking about the background to these plants, the wider setting in which they are viewed, which can make or break your autumn display.

Lawns are growing much more slowly now, but they do have a tendency to produce tufts of longer grass that can spoil the overall appearance.

By raising the height of cut on the mower, it is possible to keep mowing regularly, as long as the ground is not waterlogged or frosty.

Making sure that the edges are neatly cut will add a crispness to the lawn and distract the eye from any scruffy plants in surrounding borders.

Summer bedding plants may still be flowering, albeit less vigorously than earlier in the year.

With regular dead-heading they can often be persuaded to flower until the first frosts turn them mushy.

In my garden at home I still have dahlias, English marigolds, nicotianas and rudbeckias in flower, whilst at Brockhole the French marigolds and heliotropes are holding their own nicely.

Of course if you are waiting to put out winter and spring bedding then some of these late flowers may have to be sacrificed, but I am always tempted to hang on to them for as long as possible.

Fruit trees should all be pruned by now, and their new, clean-cut outlines help to make the garden look neat and tidy.

Hedges too should mostly have been cut; though hedges behind herbaceous borders, like the big holly hedge at Brockhole, are easier to clip once the border has been cut down for winter.

Seedheads should be left on herbaceous plants to provide food for seed-eating birds, but any stems that have shed their seeds, or lost their heads altogether, may be cut down now.

Leaf-raking is one of my least favourite autumn jobs, but it does make a difference to the overall appearance of the garden.

In particular, leaves should not be left to lie around on the lawn, since it will quickly turn yellow.

Personally, I don't mind fallen leaves on beds and borders (the worms will pull them down into the soil eventually, saving me the job of composting them) but I do like paths and seating areas to be kept relatively leaf-free.