LANDSCAPING : A sign change moves through the morning, shifting from a root day to a flower day — a split that actually works in your favour. Before the shift, firm up any loose soil around recently planted bulbs and top-dress beds with a 5 cm layer of well-rotted compost. After the change, the afternoon opens beautifully for flower-focused planting: pot up cyclamen tubers flush with the compost surface and set them in cool, shaded corners of the patio or porch — they’ll bloom quietly through the grey weeks ahead. Chrysanthemums moved from pots into open ground now will anchor before the first hard frost; space them generously and water in well.
VEGETABLE PATCH : A waxing crescent on a flower day suits brassica transplanting more than you might expect. If you have cauliflower or broccoli seedlings ready under cover, move them out to a prepared bed: 60 cm between cauliflower plants, rows 70 cm apart; broccoli at 50 cm in the row, rows 60 cm wide. Firm the soil around the collar and mulch between rows to hold moisture and suppress weeds through autumn.
ORCHARD : With the soil still workable and mild enough to handle bare roots, dig planting holes for quince trees and hazel — loosen the base, add a bucket of compost, and let the bed rest until stock arrives in November. Peony crowns can go in now too, buds just 3 cm below the surface; choose a spot they won’t need to leave.