Blog, Gardening Advice
November Gardening Blog
The evenings are getting darker earlier, there are leaves beneath are feet and the rich Autumn tones of reds, oranges, yellows and golds are in abundance – Winter is just around the corner. As a result of climate change the soil is still warm and gone are the days of endless frosty mornings. So, just as we said last month, although we may be used to putting the garden to bed there is still lots to do in the garden as well as things we can look forward to, too!
Autumn gardening can give you a chance to plan for the Spring and the Summer, see what worked this year and what didn’t. Do you want to change things up? Give yourself a challenge for next Summer or even try your hand at vegetable growing? Whatever it may be, the landscapes of our gardens, no matter how big or small, continue to change and with that gives us as gardeners an opportunity to try something new. We will be sharing this month’s top jobs as well as some planting inspiration too.
JOBS FOR THE GARDEN
• Bulb planting! If you haven’t done so already, November is a great time to get planting. We have a great selection of tulips, daffodils, crocuses and many many more. We also understand just how busy our lives are too, so we have pre planted containers that are ready to go – they just need watering and you’re ready to go. Discover them here >
• Winter pansies and violas work perfectly in containers, borders and/or hanging baskets – so if you need a splash of colour these are a great choice and will last you through until early Spring.
• This is the time of year plants enter full dormancy, so bare-root season is well under way. You can now plant bare-root roses, shrubs and trees, including apple trees. Be sure to soak the root really well before planting.
Click here to discover our range of bedding plants for the Autumn
• Cut back faded perennials and it’s a great time to divide them too. The warm soil and increased rainfall will help the roots establish, so if you have the space you can have good growing perennials in multiple places in your garden.
• Gather up and bin the fallen leaves of roses affected by blackspot, so they don’t carry the disease over to next year
• Move containers of alpine plants under cover to shelter them from winter rain
• Plants such as agapanthus, which are borderline hardy will need a thick mulch of straw or garden compost to help protect them from the colder weather.
• Leave seedheads on your perennials, this will give extra food for the birds!
GREENHOUSE JOBS
• You can still plant next year’s Sweet Peas, but these will need to be In a cold frame or a greenhouse for success. They will start to germinate in around 2 weeks.
• If you have any cuttings or non-hardy plants it is best to protect these with a light fleece on nights with a risk of harsh frost.
• Don’t forget to open the vents for at least an hour or two a day.
FRUIT & VEG JOBS
• Our Raspberry bushes have now arrived and are ready to plant. Planting them now makes their roots establish, giving you a better crop of fruit in the Summer.
• Plant your garlic cloves, the cold winter period will help speed up bulb development to ensure they are ready by June.
• Check for whitefly on Kale, if you find any signs do your best to wash off and cut off any affected leaves.
• Plant Rhubarb crowns – ideally plant in a sunny site that is less likely to get waterlogged.
AUTUMN PLANTERS & BASKETS
Whatever the time of year, there are always shrubs and flowers that can give you some colour in the garden. So, we have pulled together our top plants for this month, as well as some inspiration on how to plant them too.
A very pretty Winter flowering plant in a mix of pinks, whites and deep purples. They are great for filling in gaps as well as making the centerpiece of a planter.
A fabulous plant with s whole host of colour choices. Great in autumn and winter containers. Can also be grown in the open ground.
A small low growing evergreen plant with small rounded leaves. Small bel like white flowers are followed by bright red berries. Great as a ground cover plant or in winter baskets and containers.
