When autumn settles in and winter is just round the corner, people tend not to venture outside their garden, thinking there is nothing to do as nothing will be growing. However, you couldn’t be further from the truth, there is plenty for you to get stuck in to and many shrubs begin to flower this month. Take a look at our top ten tips for a November garden.
Tip 1 – Shrubs
There are many shrubs that flower through the Winter, often with a delicious scent. Your local garden centre will have a range of these for sale now, to suit most aspects in your garden.
Tip 2 - Planting
Late autumn and early winter are good times to plant conifers and evergreens. Prepare the planting hole well, incorporate some bonemeal, and remember to stake taller plants until they are established.
Tip 3 – Compost heaps
Cover your compost heaps through the winter months to prevent them from getting too wet and turning into a slimy mess. Continue to add suitable material as it comes to hand.
Tip 4 – Cleaning
Clean down garden furniture and store it in a dry place for the winter. Store any empty terracotta tubs in a frost free place until next spring.
Tip 5 - Crops
Continue to clear spent crops from the vegetable garden to the compost heap and begin winter digging if the weather is suitable. Divide the area into three parts and double dig one-third, incorporating well-rotted manure or garden compost. This area can be used to grow peas, beans and other crops that prefer rich soil.
Tip 6 - Bulbs
Remember to plant the last of your spring flowering bulbs such as Daffodils and Tulips as soon as possible this month. Plant at three times the depth of the bulbs which will ensure that the plants do not go ‘blind’ in subsequent years.
Tip 7 - Lawn
Continue to rake leaves from your grassed areas. Choose a dry day to give the lawn a final cut before the Winter and then get your mower serviced whilst the workshops are quiet.
Tip 8 – Check plants
Walk around your garden and check stakes and ties on vulnerable plants are secure, before the winter. Prune back by half bush roses that have finished flowering, to prevent wind rock. Check that climbing plants are securely tied-in to their supports and also that trellis and fence panels do not need replacing.
Tip 9 - Pruning
Plants that are grown for their leaf colour, such as ornamental Elderberries (Sambucus) can be pruned hard now, so that they produce plenty of new growth next spring. Coloured stemmed Willows and Dog Woods can also be pruned to a basic framework through the winter if required.
Tip 10 – Adding interest
Enjoy the last of the autumn colour by visiting your local garden centre to choose from the range of plants with berries and leaf colour to add interest to your own garden for years to come.