From gloves to rakes, leaf grabbers to spades, these essentials will help make the gardener’s busiest season a breeze

• The best bulbs to plant this autumn for a blooming good spring

I disagree that spring is the busiest season for gardeners. Yes, plenty of seeds to be sown, grass to be mown, thistles to be … hoe’n? But so much of the vigour and vitality of spring gardens is owed to efforts made the previous autumn.

The mulching, splitting, leaf shifting, planting, planning, pruning – even sowing – of October and November is what produces the magnificent results. The autumn to-do list can feel daunting, but the beauty of it is its lack of time pressure: spring rushes by in a heartbeat, autumn plays out leisurely, its jobs needn’t be hurried.