By Alicia Paaso - Gardenscape Sales Team/RHS Level 2 Horticulturalist
With the last remnants of autumn foliage creating picturesque scenes; November is a month full of autumnal beauty. As the temperatures continue to drop, many plants transition into their winter framework. Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ (dogwood) stands out in the garden with its vibrant red stems. November gardening is all about settling the garden down for winter and making it ready for next year. It is the perfect time for spending time in your garden and for walks in the countryside, enjoying the last of the autumnal landscape before winter settles in. Read more below of what November gardening has to offer!
November Harvesting
Collect the last harvest of runner beans for this year. They are not frost hardy, so dismantle the framework, and add the vegetation to the compost bin. Black-and redcurrants are great for baking and puddings. Take currant cuttings from healthy and strong shoots to maximise future harvests. Plant the cuttings in deep pots using one part grit to one part peat-free compost or multipurpose compost. Place the pots in a sheltered place outdoors or in a cold frame. Make sure to keep the cuttings well-watered to ensure that they don’t dry out. Harvest parsnips and celeriac in November. Wait to harvest parsnips until the first frost, as frost has been shown to improve the flavour.
Supporting wildlife in your garden
Native wildlife benefits our gardens in many ways by pollinating plants, some controlling pest populations, and most wildlife contributing to the overall health of our gardens. To encourage and support these beneficial organisms in our gardens, it is important to provide them with habitat, shelter and food for the winter. Building a log pile in your garden will create a habitat for insects as well as being a shelter for small mammals. Build the log pile in a shady and damp spot. Gather branches and arrange them in a pile, leaving gaps and crevices for insects, amphibians and small mammals. Add stones and leaves to the pile to create more diverse habitats, encouraging biodiversity.
If you can, when pruning, avoid removing any fruit or berry bearing branches as birds feed on these throughout winter. Hedgehogs hibernate in leaf piles under hedges and in borders, so leave some fallen leaves on the ground. Leave out food and water for animals that don’t hibernate, such as fat balls and sunflower seed for birds.
Autumn interest
If you find your garden looking dull and colourless this time of the year, there are many plants that will add colourful flowers even in November! For example, sasanquas tolerate many different growing conditions and put on gorgeous displays of flowers. Sasanquas such as autumn-flowering Camellia sasanqua ‘Kanjiro’ provide dramatic cerise red flowers through the winter months. Camellia sasanqua Kenkyo has got bright white flowers that contrast autumn colours nicely. Although sasanquas can tolerate soil with a neutral pH better than other camellias, they still prefer ericaceous growing conditions. John Innes no 3 mixed with ericaceous compost is a great mix for sasanquas to thrive. The best time to plant camellias is during October and November before winter fully settles in. Other plants for autumn colour are Hydrangea paniculate ‘Jane’ with its green flowers that turn to cream and blush in autumn, as well as Berberis thunbergii f. atropurpurea with its crimson leaves in autumn.
Maintenance and planting
Go through the garden and cut down anything that is clearly finished for the season such as annuals, faded bedding plants and old crops
Climbing roses produce their flowers on new growth in the spring. Therefore, by pruning them around this time of the year the framework will be in good shape to carry new flowering shoots the following spring. Remove all the excess growth to get back to your desired framework. Where possible, cut just above a bud. Now before the ground freezes is the ideal time to plant bare-root fruit trees. Stake any newly planted trees or shrubs to prevent wind damage and root movement.
Add a thick layer of mulch (at least 5cm thick) if you haven’t already to protect any bare soil. Not only will it maintain and improve the soil structure for next year, but it will also prevent weed seeds from germinating. Now is a great time to order your mulch if you haven’t already as we are still running our autumn offer in November for 15 % off bulk bags of manure, mushroom compost and peat free compost (delivery only).
Tulips are gorgeous spring flowers that come in a wide variety of colours and flower shapes. Plant dry bulbs now for colour in your beds and borders come spring. Space the bulbs at least twice their width apart.
As the fallen leaves blanket the ground rake up leaves in your garden and clear leaves from your pond. Give your greenhouse a good clean by clearing any spent crops and wipe the glass with garden cleaning product. Move any frost tender plants indoors or under cover.
Enjoy your November gardening!