November Tips

Autumn is now well and truly upon us, with leaves falling regularly and carpeting the ground, so there's plenty of tidying up to do in the garden. Don't let your garden slip as we approach the winter months - November can still be a great time to plant hardy plants as long as your soil isn't too wet or cold.

Borders

• Conditions on mild days are still ideal for planting hardy shrubs, trees, hedges and herbaceous perennials as well as autumn and winter flowering annuals such as pansies and polyanthus.
• Prune back Roses and tidy up deciduous shrubs.
• Protect newly planted evergreen shrubs with fleece windbreaks.
• Firm in the roots of trees and shrubs that are lifted by frost.
• Plant bare rooted trees, shrubs and roses.
• Continue to tidy beds and borders, then mulch with compost, well-rotted manure or bark and apply a slow release fertiliser such as bonemeal.
• Provide autumn and winter interest by leaving attractive stems or seed heads for wildlife. Cut back old, unsightly perennials to ground level though.
• Protect tender plants which cannot be moved by insulating them with straw, bracken or fleece.

Bedding Plants

• Keep Autumn flowering plants looking their best by removing dead heads and ensuring they're not being covered with fallen leaves.
• Remember to think ahead! Now's the time to start ordering plants you'd like to plant next spring.
Containers
• Containers are just as likely to dry out at this time of year, so remember to check regularly that they have enough water.
• As the weather turns increasingly wet, raise your containers off the ground slightly using small pieces of wood to allow them to drain more freely.
• Prune any shrubby plants to keep them tidy and in top shape.

Lawns

• Be sure to rake up leaves regularly to prevent them from smothering your grass. Either add them in small amounts to your compost heap or seal them in large plastic bags to rot.
• Spike badly drained lawns to improve drainage and if not carried out previously scarify to remove dead grass.
• Sweep away worm casts.
• Complete any turf laying.
• Mow if necessary, but pick a dry day and make sure the grass isn't wet.

Fruit

• Harvest and store late varieties of apples and pears.
• Plant new fruit trees and bushes once the ground has been dug over and well-rotted compost or manure added.
• If not already done, blackberry, raspberry and loganberry canes that have finished cropping should be cut out and new canes can be tied in to support framework.
• Start to prune apple and pear trees.
• Once all leaves have dropped apply a "winter wash" to control pests.

The Vegetable Garden

• Dig over vacant ground and dig in well-rotted manure or compost.
• 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.

The Greenhouse

• Make sure heating system is working efficiently as it will be required more and more as winter continues.
• Water in the morning only, so that the foliage does not remain wet at night and try to avoid leaf splash.
• Sow winter lettuce in the greenhouse border soil.
• Ventilate the greenhouse with care in order to keep up air movement and alleviate dampness without letting temperatures fall too low.

Ponds

• Continue to feed pond fish.Generally clean up your pond taking care not to disturb hibernating wildlife.
• Take out any pumps and clean and store them in a dry place.
• Put a net over the pond if not already done to prevent leaves falling in to it.
General Tasks
• Provide food and water for garden birds.
• Drain stone fountains etc. so that freezing conditions are less likely to damage them, and service electrical pumps.