When fireworks light up the night skies and crowds huddle for warmth around crackling bonfires, it’s a signal to get the garden ready for winter. Despite the cold temperatures and shorter days can still pot up some colourful winter containers, start planning next year’s garden and of course feed your garden birds! Let’s take a look at what garden jobs can be ticked off this November…
There’s still some colour to be found among leaves and berries. Winter-flowering shrubs such as Mahonia media hybrids, winter Honeysuckle and Viburnum Bodnantense will bring gorgeous fragrance to the short days.
Try and spend a little time tidying up your borders – you’ll be pleased you did when spring comes round. This is a good time of year to plant shrubs. Our Westland Tree & Shrub Planting Mix will give them a boost with its balanced nutrient fertiliser that feeds for up to 6 months and added root builder for healthy plants.
Essential checklist for November gardening jobs
- Clear leaves with a spring tine rake and compost them
- Plant shrubs, evergreens and conifers
- Protect tender plants from frost with fleece or plant jackets
- Put out bird food
Last chance
- Autumn lawn care – aerate and feed
- Plant spring flowering bulbs such as tulips
- Plant garlic and onions
Clear leaves and compost them
Leaf mould is worth its weight in gold, so it’s well worth collecting up leaves to make your own. Contain the leaves in a simple open frame made of chicken wire, or pack them into black bin bags. Sprinkle with Garotta, moisten the leaves and tie them up. Leave the bags for a couple of days before piercing all over with a garden fork. Then move out of the way to a shady place and leave for a year by which time the leaves should have rotted down to a rich dark pleasant-smelling mixture. This can be used as a mulch or dug in as a soil improver – especially useful for woodland plants.
We recommend using Kent & Stowe 3 in 1 Leaf Rake to keep on top of the endless autumn leaves in your garden. This tool is easy to use for clearing large and narrow areas, or by simply detaching the heads, you have your very own leaf grabbers. What a handy piece of kit to keep in your shed this autumn!
Plant shrubs, evergreens and conifers
Continue to plant evergreens and conifers at the beginning of the month, while the soil is moist and still retains some warmth. Do remember to water well if the weather is dry – new plants still need moisture at their roots even in winter.
November is a good time of year to plant new hedges. You’ll see bundles of bare-rooted hedging plants in garden centres now. Prepare your site well, digging in lots of organic matter such as homemade compost, or try Gro-Sure Farmyard Manure before you plant. You can also use specialist tree and shrub compost which strengthens trees and shrubs from the inside out.
Protect tender plants from frost
Protect tender plants such as Phormiums, tree ferns and Cordylines in case frost should strike. It may be easiest to move large containers into a sheltered corner and cover them altogether with horticultural fleece rather than covering each plant individually.
Autumn lawn care
There is still time to aerate and feed your lawn before the weather turns cold.
- Rake up leaves
- Adjust settings on your mower
- Aerate your lawn
- Treat moss and weeds with Aftercut All In One Autumn
- Feed and condition
- Carry out repairs
Find out what you can do to prepare your lawn for winter here.
Plant spring flowering bulbs
You can still plant Tulips in November. Get a head start and sow Unwins Sweet Peas at the beginning of the month in a greenhouse for an early display next year.
Feed the birds
Shorter daylight hours mean that wild birds have less time to forage. Save them a wasted journey by making sure your feeders are topped up daily with a good quality all round bird food. Remember, once you start feeding the birds they will come to rely on you, so make sure you’re consistent!
TOP TIP – Peckish Complete Seed Mix is a great option for garden birds and can be used all year round.
Kitchen Garden
Plant garlic and onions
Finish planting garlic if you haven’t already. Pick a cold day in November – they need the cold period to develop clusters that turn into bulbs next summer. Read how to grow garlic guide for more info. Read our how to grow onions for more information on the best way to achieve success with onions.
Sow Green Manure
If you want to improve the texture and soil conditions for future vegetable crops then Green Manure can be grown over winter and then cut down and dug in during spring. They also keep weeds at bay over the winter. Try Marshalls Seeds Green Manure Autumn/Winter Mix and it’s not too late to still sow in November as long as the local weather conditions are still favourable.
Houseplants
Winter-flowering bulbs light up our homes during the dreariest days of winter, filling rooms with a feast of flowers – and they’ll thrive with minimal fuss. Amaryllis is a winter favourite with varieties such as ‘Minerva’ and ‘Red Lion’.
For best results, choose the biggest, fattest amaryllis bulbs that you can find. Most will cost less than £10 and the largest bulbs will be packed with energy, promising more flower spikes and superior displays. A giant bulb should produce two or three flower spikes in succession.
