It’s an exciting time of year as changes are now moving us quickly out of autumn and there is so much to enjoy. Apples have mostly fallen and the blackbirds are busily tucking in! Bonfire night is approaching and fireworks will be lighting up the skies. Our days are already noticeably shorter now and I have shifted to my winter hours, and the clocks have gone back.
Our first frosts are approaching as the nights are getting colder, the mornings have been full of dew, soaking the lawns and making the spider webs sparkle. We’ve been lucky to have had a mild winter last year, with lots of bedding plants surprisingly surviving the winter but this year there are warnings of a severe winter ahead.
It’s time to get thinking about protecting your garden, wrapping up pots to protect them from frost and using horticultural fleece to protect tender plants from the cold. The wet weather is an issue too, pots will need to be raised up on feet so that they don’t overfill with water.
Turning the soil will expose pests that are bedding down and collecting leaves off of your flowerbeds will reduce the risk from diseases like black spot as well as control the number of patrolling slugs and snails who now have ideal weather conditions to venture about in – they get very brave and bold now and you might spot them trailing halfway up across your windows even!
Whether we are ready for Christmas or not, the shops are filling with Christmas decorations and paraphernalia and our thoughts will be turning to the big celebration ahead as Holt lights get turned on at the end of this month.
We can think ahead for the garden too and get our bulbs planted – tulips can go in now and there is a massive choice – pastels to dramatic dark purples and bright cheerful reds and traditional yellows. You can prolong your show of tulips by choosing bulbs that flower early and mixing them up with late flowering bulbs.
Don’t forget to mark where you’ve put them in the garden so you don’t unearth them by mistake! It’s important to choose the best bulbs you can, so before you buy, give them a good check over for mould, and a gentle squeeze to make sure they are not soft and squidgy.
Autumn is such a beautiful season as the leaves are falling and roadsides are a mass of intense autumnal colour – enjoy!
Happy Gardening!
Jobs for November:
- Turn the soil to improve it and expose pests & gather up leaves
- Raise pots up with feet to stop containers from getting waterlogged
- Cut back dead foliage
- Plant shrubs and trees and tulips
- Remove pests, slugs and snails
- Weed, weed, weed!