All correas, with the exception of correa alba, have tubular, bell-shaped flowers. They vary greatly in size, but all except alba have copious  supplies of nectar. Plants range in height from prostrate ground covers to small trees. Correas thrive in a wide range of soil conditions, but they do prefer soils that are well-drained, and they don’t mind if it is alkaline.

They are frost hardy and will grow in shaded or sunny positions. Correa alba is excellent for shaded positions. Its white, starry flowers will brighten dull corners.

The correa reflexa group are excellent as ground covers. They form dense, spreading, mounds of grey/green to green foliage and are ideal for sloping embankments. Most correas respond well to light applications of a slow release fertiliser.

Correas can be propagated  easily from cuttings at any time, but the period from September to March is best.

Green peas can be sown now to mature in colder autumn weather. They don’t like the heat.

Watch the foliage for powdery mildew, which invariably strikes in autumn. It can debilitate trees and other plants it attacks, for instance, the foliage of zucchinis, pumpkins, dahlias and others. It’s a fungal disease. Use a suitable spray such as Mancozeb Plus at the first sign. 

Keep potatoes well hilled up to prevent light from turning the tubers green. You can also use seaweed or hay for this. It’s not a good time for sowing new lawns or repairing old ones. Wait until autumn when there is likely to be plenty of moisture.

This is the time when we should be planning our gardens for next spring.

Few flowers herald the arrival of spring more delightfully than the crocus. Sometimes this little flower seems almost too impatient to wait for spring and pushes its way through frost-covered lawns. Even for the new gardener, these spring flowering bulbs are easy to grow. The bulbs should be planted in autumn. Rich soil is not necessary, but it should be well-drained.

For the best effect, crocuses should be planted in masses about 5cm deep and 7-10cm apart. They must be planted where they will get some sun for part of the day. If you plant them in the lawn, choose a north-facing spot to encourage early blooming, so that the foliage will have matured before the grass needs mowing.

Like daffodils, crocuses can be left in the same place and will go on flowering year after year.

This is a perfect time to plant cauliflowers for winter eating. They need cold weather at the end to form big, solid heads.

You can sow seeds now or plant out seedlings. The best way is to sow a few seeds every couple of weeks, to give you a succession of mature caulies all through winter.

Cauliflowers are hungry plants and, like healthy babies, respond to being well fed. Give them plenty of compost or manure.

When you pull up a mature cauliflower you can see how it has sent down fine feeding roots into the manure, making a thick web right through it.

Cauliflowers have a few sensitivities. One is that seedlings should be transplanted when they are still growing steadily and never hardened off. Usually they are ready to transplant about six weeks after the seed is sown.

One of common causes of failure in cauliflowers is a problem called whiptail. Leaves, particularly younger ones, grow very narrow and develop broken edges. In severe cases the growing point of the plant may die.

The cause is a deficiency of molybdenum, and is practically always found in strongly acid soil. Digging in some dolomite well before planting time is the answer.