After the unseasonably warm month of October, cooler days (and nights) of November are definitely here and winter is drawing ever closer. The clocks have gone back an hour too and darker evenings are back with a vengeance.
But there are enough daylight hours to be in the garden if you get up a bit earlier. Having a wander around the garden in your wellies with a morning wake-up coffee, when everywhere is quiet and still (a pair of secateurs tucked into your cosy winter dressing gown pocket, of course), can give you a real boost for the day ahead, be that in your place of work or doing a few tasks about the garden.
So, talking of tasks, here are the Brookside Nursery Timely Tips for the Garden in November –
Time to add some Scent
Some plants that are in flower from November have an intense sweet fragrance so it is worth having one or two specimens either near a footpath in the garden or in a pot close to a doorway so that the heady scents can waft as you pass by.
Mahonia and Choisya are in flower now in my garden and both are giving a wonderful scent. Daphne and Hamamelis are usually in flower a bit later into December and January but when they are, you will certainly know it.
Time to plant Tulips
Most spring bulbs will benefit from being planted before November to get their roots established before the colder temperatures set in, but tulips are the exception. November is the best month to get these bulbs into the ground or pots. The main reason for leaving tulip planting until this month is that the ground has become colder and there is less chance of the bulbs succumbing to the fungal disease tulip fire. This is noticeable as the foliage unfurls as twisted or stunted growth on the leaves and brown spots or scorching (as if the tulip has been burnt by fire).
Plant the bulbs at three times their depth in the ground. If you have a clay soil which can be very wet in winter, then place the bulbs onto a layer of coarse grit, and then cover with a mix of compost and soil. You can make a really colourful display by planting tulip bulbs into pots and the joy of doing this is that you can create a different colour scheme every spring. The pots can also be hidden amongst the borders nearer their flowering time without having to disturb other spring bulbs.
Time to Plant for Autumn Colour
Think of autumn and the vibrant colours of burnt orange, golden yellows and rich velvety reds come to mind. If you want to bring a splash of autumn colour to your garden then it may be worth investing in a specimen shrub or tree and place it in a spot so that you will get the enjoyment from it by gazing out of your window on cool autumn days.
Time to View your Veg
If you have brassicas growing in your veg patch that you are hoping to serve for lunch on Christmas Day to the family you may want to erect a net over Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Kale and Broccoli. Birds, especially pigeons love to nibble on these and can decimate a crop in no time. So it’s as well to take the time to cover your precious vegetables to avoid disappointment!
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Have fun in your garden!
