Gardening – Nov 22

Tom Strowlger

@garden_with_tom

November is upon us, meaning we are in the last month of meteorological autumn and one month from wintertime. The clocks have recently changed meaning our gardens now have less sunlight and reduced temperatures, we should use this month to get our gardens winter-ready. So let’s put on a warm jumper and get our gardening tools out, as a nice tidy up in the garden is on the cards. 

The garden has a slower feel about it now, it is lacking in colour, is damper, feeling cooler and is shadier than we have come accustomed to in the months gone by. That said, we can add some seasonal floral colour to brighten up our gardens a little, the best plants for some late autumn and winter floral colour are cyclamens, winter pansies and primroses. They are winter hardy and can be planted into pots, tubs, beds and borders. To plan ahead, we can plant out tulip and allium bulbs this month for beautiful flowers in springtime.  

The garden will have its fair share of brown leaves settling tightly into corners, borders and beds and on the lawn grass. The fallen golden leaves look amazing as a feature but unfortunately if they are left to lay over winter they can cause the lawn to go very patchy and plants to become smothered, so we should rake the leaves up and compost them to be used as future mulch on the beds and borders. 

It is time for some lawn grass care in readiness for the depths of wintertime. We should edge our lawns as it will make our borders and beds neat and tidy and easier to maintain into springtime. The lawn will need to be aerated at this time of year, to allow air in amongst the roots. Simply forking the lawn by hand and creating as many holes as you can, the healthier the lawn will be. The lawn should be cut on the highest setting at this time of year as longer grass is healthier grass, and should not be cut anymore after the first winter frost. 

At this time of year, we can get amongst shrubs and plants to turn the topsoil with a spade. 

The soil in borders and beds can become compacted and a turn of the topsoil can bring a fresh look back into them. You can also put a nice thick layer of mulch over the topsoil to suppress any weeds and very importantly protect plant roots from the cold and freezing weather of wintertime. 

A gardening day in November can easily be spent clearing out greenhouses, sheds and garages and brushing old cobwebs and leaves off fences, gates and walls. We can make the garden look very presentable by giving it a general tidy up. The gardening tools can be maintained or replaced if needs be and the lawnmower can be cleaned, maintained and stored away ready for springtime. 

There is something about feeling cosy this month, summed up by me as being outside in the cooler air, gently gardening away a few hours and then enjoying a hot drink and a few chocolate biscuits as a reward. November feels like a defining line in the gardening calendar; we look back on what we have grown and now we can plan what we want to plant next year. So while the sun is setting that much earlier, grab a pencil and notepad and get drawing, writing and planning the future garden.

Please do follow me on Instagram @garden_with_tom for more seasonal gardening advice and tips.