November gardens can be a chilly place!
In early November you’ll still find some autumn coloured leaves on trees waiting to be blown off in a gust of wind. Late flowers like Chrysanthemums and Nerines and the odd Rose or Hesperantha still provide us with a little colour, and winter berries are hanging on until the birds eat them all! Later on the onset of winter will become more apparent in your November garden with low clouds bringing rain and fog and all round dampness. It may not be that cold but winds can make it feel colder and, of course, we’ll start to see more frequent evening frosts.
Tidying up is still high on the agenda in your November garden. With leaves still falling you can gather them up to make leaf mould for next year. Your lawn and most plants will suffer if leaves are not collected as they need all the sunlight they can get to stay healthy – if they’re not moved lying leaves can block out the light and in some cases covered plants will suffer from dieback. Also, clear away old stems and dead foliage to make everywhere look tidier; this also prevents slugs and snails settling it to a new home.
You’ll need to bring your non-frost-proof pots and tender plants inside if you don’t have a greenhouse or cold frame to insulate them. If they are too heavy to move wrap pots with hessian or bubble wrap and any plant pots you can move do so – huddle them all together near a house wall preferably south facing which will retain the sun’s warmth. Don’t forget to remove any saucers if you’ve not already done so and lift any pots off the ground by using decorative feet or similar; this provides better drainage and stops the plants getting waterlogged.
November is a great month to plant new trees, shrubs and roses and if you’ve been thinking about wanting to move any around your garden – now is the time. Remember any you do move will need to have as much soil kept on the roots as is possible and make sure they have a really good watering in and lots of organic mulch on the top. If they are large plants make sure you stake them and keep them well watered.
For something different consider converting part of your flower or pleasure garden into a productive area – if care is taken with the design and choice of vegetables they can look really lovely. It might seem like quite a big project but by doing it this month you will be ready for spring. Make sure you can get around all sides of your vegetable beds and that they’re no wider than 1.2m so you can reach everywhere without treading on the soil!
November Garden Jobs
- Clear up and keep all fallen leaves for mulch
- Get your tulip bulbs in the ground as soon as possible
- Mow the lawn probably for the last time this year
- Check trees and shrubs for damaged branches and remove them so they don’t get whipped off in high winds and cause damage to property or plants
- Plant fruit trees
- Lift and divide Rhubarb
- Make sure you get your winter digging done so any coming frost can break down the clods and improve the structure
- Lift and store Dahlias in a dry, frost-free place
- Check fences and trellis and make sure they are sturdy to withstand any gales
- Clear out bird boxes and remember to keep feeding the birds!
In terms of houseplants:
- Make sure all houseplants are getting enough light as the light levels are reducing
- Don’t overwater house plants as this can cause problems, so too can rapid temperature fluctuations – try and put them in an area where the temperature will be fairly static unlike for example, a conservatory or by the back door!
- Central heating is a problem for plants, those with brown tips are suffering from dry conditions which means they need to be kept damper so mist them occasionally.
