Gardening by Month - November

It’s good to get out in the fresh air and tidy the garden before the coldest weather sets in. Most flowering plants can be cut back now, which might leave your garden with a lack of colour, so here are some of our winter favourites to add interest:

Jasminum nudiflorum or winter jasmine is a great choice. This deciduous climbing shrub has yellow flowers during the winter and is suited to a north facing wall. It brings a welcome splash of colour to the garden through the winter months.

The mahonia is a yellow winter-flowering evergreen. Its flowers are lily-of-the-valley scented, so position it where you can enjoy the fragrance. The long-lasting flowers are often followed by small, plum-coloured fruits, which birds love.

Mahonia’s leaves are glossy and often take on red or purple tints when the weather turns cold. It’s hardy and generally not affected by pests. The mahonia is happiest in partial or full shade so long as there are good light levels. Apart from that, it’s a versatile, low maintenance plant.

Potted hyacinths bring gorgeous flowers and sweet fragrance to your home and garden. They’re perfect for a windowsill, conservatory, doorstep, patio or balcony. Position them where you can smell their fragrance when passing by.

Once your hyacinth finishes flowering, cut back the flowers so it doesn’t waste energy on seeds, but keep the foliage, whch helps build the bulb for next year. Although intended for indoors, they can grow perfectly well outside, flowering in March and early April, reappearing year after year.

Other jobs for this month:

• Tidy up your borders before the weather gets too cold. Get rid of weeds. Cut back hedges, and if you have a pond, remove dead leaves through the season.
• Add a layer of mulch when the soil is moist, before frost gets into the ground. Mulching provides a protective winter layer and prevents soil erosion. Landscape bark, leaf mould and farmyard manure are great soil improvers, so stock up on some bags from the garden centre.
• You can stop mowing the lawn later this month and clean up your mower to store. Give your lawn an autumn feed to see it through the colder months.
• Get prepared for frosty nights by stocking up on horticultural fleece from the garden centre. It lets air and light through to your tender plants, while protecting them from the worst of cold weather.

Now is the time to think about providing food, water and shelter for wildlife. Check out the range of wildlife habitats, along with bird baths, bird tables and feeders at Garsons. Keep some of your garden a little wild to provide natural habitats.

Until next month, enjoy your autumnal garden.