THE pleasant, pottering garden activities of spring and summer have now been usurped by the slightly more dirty and physical tasks of autumn and winter.

No more the gentle deadheading of border perennials, or the hypnotic mowing of a flower-filled lawn. Rather the sticky thud of clay-clogged spade turning weed-filled soil and the steamy release of a summer's worth of heat as the fork tines twist open the fermented compost heap. Dainty, pastel petals have been replaced by brown, leathery leaves, expectation substituted with resignation. No more the romantic, flowing, hazy days, but more the crisp, chilled tweed and Wellingtons.

This doesn't mean that it's any less fun out in the garden, though. Quite the reverse. This is when much of the heavy work and preparation takes place for next season's horticultural parade. This is when the brain has to work overtime trying to tie in all the pieces that didn't quite match this year, when the plants get moved around and when new ideas are sparked off and explored.

One of the biggest tasks that can be undertaken is planting a hedge. This can transform the frontage of a house, or create new spaces within the garden. The choice of planting is endless, but there can be little more rewarding than a naturally mixed hedge. Traditionally this was made up of over five different plants, choosing from hawthorne, holly, field maple, spindle, gooseberry, honeysuckle, buckthorn, elderberry, hazel or wild rose, along with a host of large native trees such as oak and beech. This results in a countryside tapestry throughout the year. There will be blossom and bright green leaves in spring, flowers and scent in summer, fruit and nuts in the autumn and a kaleidoscope of camouflaged colours in the winter.

For a good healthy start, the plant roots will need a good dose of natural, nutritious growing material. Well-rotted farm manure is perfect for this. Make sure that it is well-rotted, mind, and that it has got to the state where you wouldn't be afraid to handle it with bare hands, and it has no odour. Anything less than a year old, containing high levels of raw ammonia, is more likely to scorch the roots and stems of young plants.

If you have a compost heap, then this is the time to use the good stuff from the bottom.

Dig a nine-inch to one-foot deep trench along the line of your intended hedge. Make sure that it is at least a spade's width wide, and then line the bottom with your manure mixed in with some of the soil from the trench. Place the saplings in position, about one-and-a-half feet apart. Make sure that they get a good watering, even at this wet time of the year.

By spring, the hedge should be sprouting and by this time next year, it should be knitting together nicely. It should reach a good mature size within five years and, if properly maintained, can keep going for several hundreds of years.

Such a hedge benefits the wildlife and the ecology, and is cheap and simple to create. It is attractive, productive and practical. If nothing else, the creation of it keeps you occupied and gives you a good workout in the build up to winter.

JOBS THIS WEEK

* Save seeds of plants that you have enjoyed in your garden this summer. On a dry day, cut the seed head off and place in a paper bag. Gently crush and shake. Spread the contents out onto a sheet of paper and pick out all the debris. Pour into an envelope and label. Store in a cool, dry environment.

* Remove any greenhouse shading that you may have applied during the summer. Replace with insulation or bubble wrap.

* Plant bare-rooted roses in a sunny site. Ensure that the graft remains below the surface.

READER'S QUESTION

YOUNG reader Ellenor French (aged nine) has written telling me that she failed to grow a batch of pumpkins this year. She wondered whether it was because when she sowed the seed some of them came up with the seed coat still attached to the young leaves. She didn't know whether she should have removed them or not.

THIS problem indicates a lack of vigour, usually brought about due to old seed, a compost lacking in nutrition, or the soil being too wet or too dry.

The lighting might be poor, or the seedlings situated in a draught. It really doesn't make much difference whether you remove the coat or not. The secret is to provide the seedlings with as optimum conditions as possible. Like all forms of gardening, there is no set formula - all we can do is rule out as many of the potential problems as we can.

Don't give up, and do have another go next spring Ellenor.

POSTSCRIPT

Brigid promotes allotments and healthy eating for Easington PCT in Wingate and presents 'Ask about Gardening' every Sunday on Radio Cleveland 95FM from 12-2pm.