November is the time to clean up your garden areas for winter but more important is the preparation for a racing start for spring. The skill is as with all gardening to think ahead & make sure you get your spring colour planted ready for the season, be that bulbs, perennials & primroses or even the winter flowering plants e.g. Hellebores, Skimmia, Viburnum, Winter Jasmine.
Jobs to do this month
- Carry on cleaning & cutting back perennials that have finished flowering. The removal of decomposing material prevents disease & is also habitat for slugs etc.
- Compost leaves & garden pruning if you can, it’s a free high quality mulch for your garden in the spring.
- November is a time that pruning is popular but remember most shrubs & flowering trees produce blossom on the growth they have made this year, it’s worth considering before you prune. A good rule is to prune directly after flowering has stopped, this way you don’t lose the flowering blossom the next year & very often you will increase it.
- Vegetables – Earth up leeks. Harvest any remaining root crops except carrot, parsnip & turnip, they can be left in the ground. Clean up the dead leaf of cabbage, brussels etc. it keeps them clean & discourages slugs. If dry enough manure any open areas for next spring, where possible dig over & turn the soil to bring in air & avoid compaction of the ground over winter.
- Lawns – The weather is still mild & grass is still growing, so cut if necessary. November is also a good time for some aeration to aid drainage through the winter months.