Traditionally dahlias are lifted after the first frosts have blackened the foliage but if this hasn’t happened to yours yet, lift them now unless you are going to risk leaving them in the ground.

In a free-draining soil you could chance this but the cold, wet of a clay soil will do for them. Cut back all the foliage and stems and lift the whole lot out, shaking off any soil as you do so. Turn them upside down to drain, as any excess sap and moisture needs to be removed as best as possible. Leave them like that for a couple of days and store them in dry, used compost in a cool dark place. Make sure to label them.

On to roses. You can order these as bare roots until the end of February. They are usually cheaper but the downside is they have to be planted on delivery.

Our potted roses come from two suppliers – David Austin and a grower named Bentley West. The David Austins we get are only those collectively known as The English Cottage Collection. These are the ones that have been specifically bred by the company.

Among the David Austins it is apparent that ‘Gertrude Jekyll’ is highly popular, and deservedly so. She has wonderful full, rich-pink blooms with that quintessential old-rose fragrance. Grown as a shrub, she will reach about 4ft but she can also be used as a short climber reaching between 6ft-8ft. This will depend on the pruning regime that is adopted.

Another fabulous one is ‘Falstaff’, a deep cerise colour and heavily fragrant that can also be used as a climber. Neither of these have the unfortunate habit of ‘balling’ in wet weather – some roses are unable to perform if heavy rain means water collects among the petals, making the heads hang down and become a mushy mess.

Our other roses are a fabulous mixture of all sorts. We always have climbers and ramblers, the difference being that many ramblers flower once but prolifically, being smothered in a myriad of small, often highly scented flowers. They are also usually more vigorous than climbers and some can reach more than 20ft. The pruning regime is different too.

At the other end of the scale are the patio roses, perfect for the front of a border or for growing in pots. As a rule they have little scent, but make up for it by flowering non-stop from early summer into autumn – providing they are dead-headed regularly. Two new ones we are trying this year are ‘Strawberry Fayre’ with raspberry and cream swirls, and ‘Sweet Memories’, a soft yellow which is also fragrant.

In the middle come the hybrid teas, the floribundas and the shrub roses, but more on them next week.

The birds will be looking for sustenance over winter, so stock up with bird food and make fresh water available.