There has certainly been a change in the temperature these past few days, the overnight temperatures in my greenhouse have been dropping to about 5 degrees.

It won’t be long before the heater kicks in and needs to warm it through the night. All the plants I need to store inside are out of harm’s way. It is quite difficult to navigate around the space now as I have so much in there. Nonetheless, there is room for air to circulate and I will be opening the door up on brighter days. I’ve got a moisture meter I can dip into the compost on the plants, just to make sure there is no overwatering on my part and help them get through the winter months.

Make sure you make the most of the coming week, weather permitting, as the days will become much shorter after the 25th. I’m certainly going to be finding things to do in the garden this winter as a means of getting out of the house. Safeguarding my elderly mother will mean more months of no trips out, so the garden will continue to keep me sane, I hope.

If you want to get out and about, Borde Hill Garden near Haywards Heath will be open and has a Halloween Trail from tomorrow to November 1 in addition to the garden entrance. Why not put on your cloak, grab your broomstick and fly across to the Borde Hill Academy of Witches And Wizards. I’m sure any children in your family would love it. All tickets for both trail and garden must be bought in advance at www.bordehill.co.uk. The added bonus is visitors can wander and enjoy the stunning hues of autumn with cornus, acers, liquidambar trees and deciduous azaleas, as well as wonderful views across the parkland featuring native and exotic trees.

One of the plants that still looks good in my garden is the Salvia Amistad. It is a bushy, upright perennial which can grow to 1.2m, with aromatic, slightly downy, corrugated, bright green slender leaves with pointed ends. Profuse, large deep purple tubular flowers are borne from early summer to the first frosts. It generally needs a sheltered position but usually overwinters, if given full sun and good drainage and it is drought tolerant too. I have two that are a bit exposed but they have been there several years and come back without fail. They really do give a gorgeous splash of dark colour at this time of year.

Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk