Seasonal Guide
Autumn
Gardening Companion
Discover what to do in your garden every month with expert guidance and the right RYOBI® tools and tips for every season.
Autumn Soil Care
What to do in Autumn
Autumn Driveway Care
Autumn Plant Care
Autumn Lawn Care
Autumn tree, shrub & hedge care
Additional tasks
Discover our seasonal guide to autumn tree, shrub and hedge care. Learn how to plant, mulch, prune and protect your garden with expert tips and tools from RYOBI®.
As your garden transitions into autumn, growth slows and the weather turns unpredictable. This means it's time to repair, shape and prepare your trees, shrubs and hedges for the cold months ahead. By tackling a few essential tasks between September and November, you'll help your garden survive winter and thrive come spring. This guide covers key autumn tasks like final hedge trimming and planting, which can be easily achieved with the help of cordless garden tools and other handy garden gear.
Removing these problem limbs now prevents harsh winds or snow from tearing them down. Dead wood is brittle and can easily snap during storms, which can be dangerous, creating safety hazards. Diseased branches can harbour fungi or pests that spread to healthy parts of the plant. If left unchecked, an infection in one limb can travel into the trunk and compromise the entire tree.
1. Start by identifying any problem branches and pruning them back to healthy tissue. Look for limbs with no leaves or needles, deep cracks or splits, oozing sap or fungal growth (such as mushrooms on the bark). If you suspect a plant is diseased but not yet severely affected, consider treating the issue first and allowing the plant to recover before pruning.
2. Use quality garden pruning tools to make clean cuts. For small stems up to about 28mm thick, secateurs are a practical choice for everyday pruning tasks. They provide clean, precise cuts on live and woody growth, making them a useful tool for a wide range of trimming and maintenance jobs around the garden.
3. For medium branches up to 32mm thick, use a pruning tool such as the 18V ONE+™ Cordless 32mm Pole Pruner to give extra leverage and reach branches up to 2.7m high. For thicker branches that need larger, clean cuts, a pole saw may be a better option. The 18V ONE+™ HP Cordless Brushless 15cm Pruning Saw makes quick work of branches that are larger or tougher than loppers can handle.
4. When pruning, make each cut just outside the branch collar (the slightly swollen base of this helps the tree heal over the wound properly and prevents water from collecting on the cut surface. Always clean your branch cutting tools after cutting diseased wood by wiping the blades with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution. This simple step prevents transferring pathogens to other plants.
5. Finally, dispose of any diseased clippings in the bin. Do not compost infected material, as most home compost piles won't get hot enough to kill the pathogens. Healthy branches and leaves that you prune off can be collected and broken down using a leaf vacuum and shredder, making it easier to compost the material or reuse it as mulch around the garden.
Feeding in autumn helps plants build strong roots for winter. As top growth slows, plants redirect their energy underground into the root system. An application of low-nitrogen, high-potassium, high-phosphorus fertiliser in early to mid-autumn supports this natural process. Avoid high-nitrogen feeds as these promote soft, leafy growth that you don't want in late season. Phosphorus encourages root development, while potassium improves cold hardiness and disease resistance in preparation for winter. Apply your autumn fertiliser once (usually in late September or October) while the soil is still warm and before it freezes. This gives nutrients time to be absorbed. If you're using a granular feed, a dedicated fertiliser spreader can provide more consistent coverage and save time compared to spreading material by hand. It also helps reduce missed patches and over-application, making it easier to distribute feed evenly across lawns and beds. For example, the 18V ONE+™ Cordless Lawn Seed & Ice Salt Spreader (Bare Tool) is a battery-powered fertiliser spreader tool, ideal for feeding your lawn and beds. After spreading, lightly rake or water the area so the nutrients can soak into the root zone. For larger gardens or if you prefer liquid feeding, consider using garden feeding equipment like a pump sprayer. The RYOBI® 18V ONE+™ cordless backpack sprayer, for instance, lets you apply liquid feeds evenly without the effort of manual pumping. A single well-timed autumn feeding will give your garden a nutritional boost that strengthens roots and sets the stage for a vibrant spring.
Spreading organic mulch in autumn insulates plant roots from temperature extremes, conserves soil moisture and even adds nutrients as it breaks down over winter. Mulching tools and composting tools for garden beds will come in handy for this task. Start by collecting autumn leaves and garden trimmings. Tools from the RYOBI® blower and blower vac range can help clear leaves from lawns, paths and borders. The 18V ONE+™ Cordless Leaf Blower Vacuum is particularly useful during autumn, helping collect and reduce the volume of leaves for easier composting or disposal. Dry fallen leaves make an excellent free mulch for flower beds and borders. If you have a lot of tree and hedge off-cuts, these can be chipped or composted separately and reused around the garden. Spread this over your planting areas, aiming for a layer about 5cm to 7.5 cm (2-3 inches) thick for effective insulation. Keep mulch a few centimetres away from the trunks or crowns of plants to prevent rot or pest problems on the bark. Other good mulching materials include:
Compost adds nutrients while it protects the soil surface, improving fertility by spring. Woody mulches like bark or shredded garden waste (for example, those pruned branches you've run through a shredder) decompose slowly, so they'll last through winter and help suppress early-spring weeds. Top tip: Spread mulch evenly across the soil surface, leaving a small gap around trunks and stems to prevent moisture build-up.
Many gardeners don't realise it, but autumn is one of the best times to plant new trees and shrubs. Early autumn provides a useful combination of warm soil, cooler temperatures and more reliable rainfall, creating favourable conditions for root development before winter dormancy. "Planting in early autumn, from September through to October, gives woody plants a head start. They can establish their root systems before winter, making them stronger and more resilient by spring. Try to get your planting done at least six weeks before the first hard frost, so roots have time to settle in." – Jemima Marshall, Senior Product Manager at RYOBI® When planting, dig a hole 2-3 times wider than the root ball but no deeper than its height. For a few trees or shrubs, a garden spade or shovel will do. If you're planting multiple holes or working with tough soil, tree planting tools or a cordless earth auger like the RYOBI® 18V ONE+™ Cordless Garden Auger (Bare Tool) can save time and effort. Mix compost into the backfill to boost nutrients, then water thoroughly. Finish with a 5 cm (2 in) mulch layer around the base to protect roots over winter.
As trees shed their foliage, it's important to keep your garden clear of heavy leaf fall. Piles of soggy leaves left on the lawn can smother the grass and encourage the growth of fungal diseases or moss. Likewise, thick layers of fallen leaves in flower beds or around shrubs create damp hiding spots for slugs, snails and other pests. Regularly using a leaf blower to clear lawns, paths, driveways and areas around plants helps prevent leaves from building up and reduces the risk of damp conditions that can lead to rot, pests and fungal problems. Make a habit of removing fallen leaves every week or two during autumn, especially on lawns and paths and around plant bases. Don't worry about every last leaf, as a thin layer can actually break down and benefit the soil, but don't let large, wet piles accumulate for long periods. The right leaf removal tools can make this chore quicker and easier. Whether you're clearing a small garden, a larger outdoor space or areas with lots of fallen leaves, leaf blowers and blower vacs can help speed up collection and reduce the effort involved. They make it easy to clear leaves from lawns, paths, driveways and borders before wet piles have a chance to build up. RYOBI® leaf blowers are available in a range of power levels to suit different gardens and clearing tasks. The WHISPER™ range is designed to deliver strong performance while helping to reduce noise levels during use.
Lastly, as part of your autumn wrap-up, check all stakes, ties, and plant supports around the garden. Winter storms and high winds can take a toll on these, so make sure your garden staking equipment is doing its job. For young trees planted in the past year or two, verify that their stakes are still solid in the ground and that the straps or ties are intact. Loosen or adjust any tree tie that's too tight on the trunk – a tree should still be able to sway a bit in the wind even when staked. If a tie is digging into the bark, reposition or replace it with a new one to prevent 'girdling', which can seriously damage the tree. Also, remove any ropes or wires that have been forgotten around trunks or branches over the summer. Don't forget to inspect fences, trellises or pergolas that support climbing plants and vines and tighten any loose screws and ensure they're sturdy enough to withstand winter weather.
Why choose bypass secateurs?
Bypass secateurs are designed to make clean, precise cuts, making them a great choice for everyday pruning tasks. Their scissor-like cutting action helps reduce damage to live stems and green growth, supporting healthy plants and cleaner pruning results. Ideal for trimming flowers, shrubs and young branches, bypass secateurs offer the control needed for accurate cuts around the garden. They're a versatile tool that can be used for everything from seasonal maintenance to shaping plants and removing dead growth. Explore the RYOBI® secateurs range to find the right tool for your gardening tasks, whether you're carrying out light pruning or tackling thicker stems with cordless assistance.
Should I use manual hedge shears or a powered hedge trimmer?
Manual hedge shears can be useful for occasional trimming, but a powered hedge trimmer can handle everything from routine maintenance to more detailed shaping. Choosing the right blade length for the job is key. Shorter blades offer greater control when working on smaller hedges and intricate shapes, while longer blades help you cover larger hedges more efficiently. For regular hedge maintenance, RYOBI® hedge trimmers can save time and reduce effort while still delivering neat, accurate results. Compact tools are also well suited to detailed trimming and shaping tasks where precision is important.
Should I choose a leaf blower or a blower vacuum?
Both tools can make clearing fallen leaves quicker and easier. A leaf blower is ideal for moving leaves and other light debris into neat piles for collection. With models available for different garden sizes, leaf blowers are a practical choice for keeping lawns, paths, patios and driveways clear throughout the year. A blower vacuum offers even more versatility. As well as blowing leaves into manageable piles, it can vacuum and collect them, with many models also mulching the material as it's gathered. This reduces the volume of garden waste and can make it easier to compost or dispose of. RYOBI® offers a range of leaf blowers and blower vacuums to suit different garden sizes and seasonal maintenance tasks, helping you keep outdoor spaces clear with less effort.
With the right tools on hand, you can get your autumn tree, shrub and hedge care done efficiently. The RYOBI® ONE+™ cordless range offers flexible, powerful solutions for every task, from trimming to mulching, all powered by the same 18V battery system. Discover the entire RYOBI® garden tool range to find the perfect equipment for your autumn projects and keep your outdoor space looking its best year-round. For more seasonal tips and how-to guides, visit our learning hub.