Gardening tips for November

Gardening tips for November
Ever darkening days. Wet and stormy weather. Trees shedding their remaining leaves...
But it's not all doom and gloom. Even now there is an array of colour. From the bright foliage of variegated evergreens and stems to a wide range of deciduous trees and shrubs, with our expert gardening tips, you can enjoy a more colourful garden in November.
Flowers

• Prune back Roses and tidy up deciduous shrubs. Both may need a further prune in February/March

Conditions on mild days are still ideal for planting:

• Later flowering spring bulbs such as Lilies and Tulips
• Bare-root or root balled trees, shrubs and Roses
• New hedges i.e. Beech, Hawthorn, Privet, Laurel
• Dig up and divide established plants which are now overcrowded and re-plant
• Pansies, primulas and other winter/ spring bedding plants

Fruit

• Harvest and store late varieties of Apples and Pears
• Plant new fruit trees and bushes once the ground has been dug over and manured
• Prune Apple and Pear trees
• Once all leaves have dropped apply a "winter wash" to control pests.
• Raspberry Canes are available for planting now

Vegetables

• Dig over vacant ground and work in well rotted manure or compost
• Order seed catalogues
• Protect cauliflower curds by bending a few leaves over the centre
• If storing vegetables make sure that they are well spaced and dry, and if any are rotting throw them away
• Leeks and parsnips may be left in the ground until required for use

Lawns

• There is still time to apply an autumn lawn food and mosskiller
• Spike badly drained lawns to improve drainage and if not carried out previously scarify to remove dead grass
• Depending on the season and location it may still be necessary to give the lawn a final cut. If so do it on a high blade setting
• If conditions permit (not too wet or too cold) turfing can still be carried out

Greenhouse

• Water carefully to avoid leaf splash
• Control pests and diseases encouraged by warm, damp conditions
• Ventilate when possible to improve air circulation and control humidity
• Grow plants such as Chrysanthemums, Cyclamen, Azaleas, Poinsettias to provide colour in the house
• Make sure heating system is working efficiently as it will be required more and more as winter continues

General Tasks

• Continue to rake up leaves from beds, borders and out of the pond, and stack them to compost
• Provide food and water for garden birds
• Protect tender plants which cannot be moved by insulating them with straw, bracken, horticultural fleece, etc.
• Drain stone fountains etc. so that freezing conditions are less likely to damage them, and service electrical pumps