Do it this week . . . Notebook Plant of the Week. Autumn Gold.

1 Toadstool troubles - I have had several inquiries recently about what gardeners can do to get rid of toadstools on the lawn and from other parts of the garden. Firstly, most, if not all, should not be thought of as edible. If in doubt do not eat them! Unless the toadstools are coming up in a distinct ring on the lawn, in which case it is the fairy ring fungus, they are usually beneficial and will be breaking down old plant material, dead tree roots or similar, releasing goodness back into the soil. Some may even be living in symbiosis with some of your garden plants, in which case let them thrive by leaving them alone. If they are appearing out of the trunks and branches of an old garden tree, call in a tree surgeon to inspect the tree properly. If they are appearing in honey-coloured clusters around the base of old shrubs or trees, it may by honey-fungus and this can be fatal to the plant.

However, the simplest solution for most fungal autumn apparitions, is either to ignore them or sweep them away with a coarse broom.

2Beautiful bulbs - if you took my advice in late August and treated yourself to one or two hyacinth of narcissi bulbs for forcing, now is the best time to take them out of their cool, dark environment and bring them onto a slightly warmer (10deg C, 50deg F), bright windowsill or into a cool glasshouse for about three to four weeks. This will help the bulbs to acclimatise to warmer temperatures and you can then take them into a normal house temperature to get them in flower for Christmas.

Autumn Gold - the first flowers of this large architectural, evergreen shrub have started to open and give us their early winter display.

For small gardens, I would not recommend that you consider planting mahonias as they can reach up to 3 metres (10ft) high and 2 metres (6ft) wide in a few short years.

However, for larger gardens, a quiet, west or north-west facing corner of the garden can often be found where this delightful shrub, with its large, dark-green foliage can show itself off at this time of year.

Long flower spikes, upwards of 300 mm (12in) long appear from mid-October onwards from the terminal buds at the top of each main stem and, as the flowers open, they give off a beautiful scent, attracting small birds in to drink the nectar and late-flying bees to take advantage of the free food supply.

There are several good species that have given rise to some excellent hybrids, showing variations in their foliage and flowers. Mahonia japonica is perhaps the most widely planted, with its slightly lax flower spikes and dark green pinnate foliage - it flowers throughout autumn and winter. Mahonia x media, being a hybrid itself, has given rise to M. x media Charity with its deep yellow flowers and very spiny leaves.

Another hybrid to search out is M. x media Underway AGM which is relatively compact and produces long bright yellow flowers. Winter Sun came out of the same stable and is a compact shrub with very fragrant flowers. Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) types are much later flowering, not producing their displays until late winter.

Mahonias manage to grow in most average garden soils, have few enemies and only require one or two taller, older stems to be removed each year after flowering to keep the plant in good condition, making them one of the best evergreen shrubs for a low maintenance garden. The foliage is much-loved by flower arrangers and is a good holly substitute at Christmas.

My diary

National Tree Week - have you got the dates in your diary yet? November 26 to December 7 is The Tree Council's 34th celebration week - which has now grown to 11 days.

It includes events across Britain in schools and community groups.

They will be planting thousands of new trees.

Visit www.treecouncil.org.uk or call 020 7407 9992 for details on the work of The Tree Council and grants for schools and community groups.