Autumn is a great time for homeowners to get out and about in the garden and tidy up their outdoor space in preparation for the onslaught of the British winter - and there's plenty of tidying up to do. With damp bits of woods and dead leaves falling from the trees, autumn can certainly be beautiful, but it gets messy.

And while there aren't very many plants in bloom, there are still a number of jobs you can undertake in your outdoor space to ensure that your garden is in good shape come the spring.

"Autumn gardening is about preparing for winter," says Bartholomew Landscaping's Barry Burrows. "Flexibility is the key - know what you have to do, and be prepared to do it at short notice if the weather turns cold." The expert advises you plant bulbs for spring now - as in December, the ground will be too cold - as well as making sure you clean up any leaves that may have fallen on your lawn or garden stonework. "Leaves can kill lawns and stain paving if left on the ground," says Barry. "Be particularly careful if you have unsealed sandstone or limestone paving as the tannins in oak leaves can cause dark stains."

And winter preparation is also the order of the day for Gillian Montegrande, founder and director of madebyhandsofbritain.com. "If you are serious about gardening, then a bit of wind and rain should not put you off," says Gillian. "There is always something to be done."

The expert advises you tidy the outdoor space, keep a woodpile in one corner of the garden as a warm space for various small animals such as hedgehogs (they will be useful come the spring for eating up slugs, so it pays to make friends) and by composting any fallen leaves. You can protect your compost pile from the wind with a hay bale or by piling garden furniture nearby - maintaining the temperature inside will keep your compost composting.

But, obviously, there isn't always time in the day to get all those odd jobs done, and that's when outdoor lighting is essential. As well as lighting up any icy or slippery garden paths of an autumn morning, garden LED lighting can also illuminate your outdoor space as you go about getting it ready for winter.