Monthly garden maintenance
November
Flowers
You still can plant lily and tulip bulbs this month. Also, plant out winter bedding.
Cut down faded herbaceous perennials and add them to the compost heap. Mulch penstemons over the crowns in colder areas.
Cut back and tidy up ornamental grasses and bamboos. Lift and divide overgrown clumps of herbaceous perennials.
Lift and store dahlias, cannas and tuberous bedding begonias. Root cuttings can be taken now and throughout the winter.
For your garden general maintenance, apply an autumn mulch to protect plants. Mulching will help to improve and maintain soil structure. Also, protect alpines from the wet.
Raise patio containers onto feet or bricks to avoid them sitting in the winter wet. Remove stakes and other supports and let the plants to die down for the winter.
Tidy up leaves from around borders. Add them to the compost heap or place in separate bins to make leafmould.
Dig up perennial weeds with long tap roots, such as dandelions and mallow from newly cultivated areas.
Pests and disease watch is really important this month, so watch out for downy mildew and black spot on winter pansies. Check chrysanthemums regularly for signs of white rust. Look out for crown rot and brown rots (sclerotinia) on died down perennials.
Many diseases will overwinter in the soil, or on plant debris. It may be important to replant new specimens in another place.
Michaelmas daisy mites on Aster novi-belgii cultivars and Grey mould or Botrytis can be a problem if the weather is wet.
Do not feed plants late in the season.
Digging the soil, especially bare patches or newly cultivated land, will expose pest larvae and eggs to birds as well as clearing weeds and improving soil structure.
Don’t leave soil uncovered for too long because it runs the risk of erosion and washing away of valuable nutrients.
Contact our landscaping team if you have a project in mind
Shrubs and trees
It’s an ideal time to plant roses. Plant them in new areas in order to avoid replant diseases. You can still plant containerized trees and shrubs. Protect newly planted ones from wind damage and cold.
You can also transplant trees and shrubs which are growing in unsuitable positions.
Lightly prune bush roses because reducing their height will prevent wind-rock. Tie wall shrubs and climbers onto their supports.
Shrubs such as Buddleja davidii, Cornus alba and Lavatera can be cut back by half now.
November is a good time to take hardwood cuttings of ornamental shrubs such as Cornus, Euonymus, Forsythia, Hydrangea, Ilex and Salix.
Place fallen leaves on the compost heap or into separate pens for rotting down into leaf mould.
Rake up and destroy (do not compost) any infected leaves.
Honey fungus fruiting bodies (toadstools) usually appear on, or at the bases of affected trees.
Phytophthora root rots can cause dieback on mature trees and shrubs. Once the leaves have fallen from deciduous hedges, shrubs, and trees coral spot can be noticed.
We can advise you to place guards around new woody plants. Examine branches for signs of disease while pruning.
You should also check for small cankers, dieback, and rotten, hollow stumps at the centre of old shrub bases before they spread.
Other garden works
Lawns
Rake fallen leaves and trim the lawn with a mower if the weather is mild. The cut should be 3-5mm higher than in summer (around 4cm (1.5in)) to prevent turf from stress.
In mild parts, you can still carry out autumn lawn care such as scarification, aeration, and top dressing as long as the soil isn’t waterlogged. Avoid walking on lawns on frosty mornings. New lawns can still be laid from turf if the weather is fine.
Use an autumn lawn feed, which contains more potassium and phosphorous. It is too late to apply lawn weedkillers now.
Toadstools are best removed if small children are present. Most are harmless saprophytic fungi. Fusarium patch (snow mould) and worm casts may also be a problem.
Algae can be a problem only where is poor drainage. Watch your lawn for signs of waterlogging. Lay stepping-stones to allow easy access to your lawn.
Ponds
Remove dead foliage and rake out fallen leaves. Give winter protection to Gunnera by cutting off old leaves and placing them over the crown of the plants. All tender plants should be brought into the greenhouse.
Stop feeding fish once the cold weather starts.
Divide hardy water lilies and other pond plants. Cut back overgrown marginal plants if needed.
Watch out for hungry herons – they will deplete fish stocks quickly.
Landscaping
Ensure all standpipes and irrigation lines are well drained. Now is a good time to consider installing garden lighting, water pipes and drainage. Paving, fence building, and pond digging also can be done this time of year. Fix sheds, greenhouses and outhouses lights, etc.
Decking and stone slabs can become slippery in wet weather. Clean out water butts and install extra ones.
