Autumn fruiting raspberries, that flower and fruit on the current seasons growth, need their canes cutting down to ground level now.

Although there is another option, you could double crop your autumn raspberries.

This is useful if you do not have room for both summer and autumn varieties of raspberries.

To achieve a double crop you still prune most of the canes to ground level as previously mentioned but leave six of the strongest shoots, which you only prune the upper part of.

You will get a valuable early crop from these canes, followed by the later autumn crop from the other canes that have been chopped to ground level.

If you haven’t got any raspberries but would like to try some, you can plant anytime in the dormant season till March.

Dig in some organic matter and general fertiliser before planting 45-60cm between plants in rows 1.8m apart.

Don’t plant too deeply. Prune canes to ground after planting.

Autumn fruiting raspberries to try are Autumn Bliss – medium/large deep red fruits with a good flavour.

Fallgold for a yellow-fruited variety.

Joan J has an upright habit and is easy to grow producing high amounts of flavoursome berries.

Hydrangea pruning guide:

Before setting about your shrub with the secateurs you need to determine if your hydrangea blooms on new wood or old wood to work out when to prune.

Flowering on old wood: does your hydrangea bloom in early summer, petering out by midsummer with just a few blooms after that?

These shrubs form next year’s flowers in late summer, they flower on old wood, so you should prune just after flowering before the new buds form.

Flowering on new wood: if your hydrangea blooms later in the year starting midsummer and continuing until first frosts it flowers on new wood, which means it grows and set buds in the same year.

These types of hydrangeas can be pruned in late winter before the new growth begins.

Trim off old dead bloom heads to tidy up and any straggly canes. Remove a few of the oldest canes to the soil line to keep the shrub vigorous.