November 2019
Climate change has meant that November has become one of the busiest months in my garden. 20 years ago we used to prepare the garden for winter in October in the certain knowledge that November would bring days - if not weeks - of some cold, sharp frosts.
But although those frosts can still come this month, they are much less certain and mild, damp days are just as likely and in our low-lying garden just by the river, that often means flooding. This does surprisingly little damage and we plant carefully to make the most of the wet ground, but it does leave paths very muddy and make any kind of work with the soil difficult.
However by the end of November we bring in all our tender plants such as dahlias, cannas and salvias early in the month and then cut back all the dying and dropping material in the borders. If the ground is dry enough we also mulch the borders too after doing any tulip planting.
As well as dealing with the rapidly fading borders, November is the main month for gathering leaves which start to really stream off the trees. We take leaf collection very seriously, seeing them as a harvest that we should treasure rather than a mess to be tidied up. Every last leaf is raked up, chopped up by an old lawn mower and then placed in the leaf-mould bay so they can rot down to make leafmould.
The vegetable garden starts to give distinctly wintry offerings with cabbages, kale and brussels sprouts all good, and the roots such as beetroots, turnips, celeriac, carrots and parsnips often at their best. Swiss chard is very hardy and a superb winter (as well as summer) vegetable and the chicories are also very hardy as long as they do not get too wet. I use cloches to protect them from the rain as well as the last of the lettuces and the hardier salad leaves such as mizuna, rocket, corn salad and mibuna.
But for those of us in the northern hemisphere the real mark of November is the fading of the light. The days become shockingly short and often grey and gloomy. It feels as if the whole world is hunkering down and drawing into itself ready for winter. The only answer is to embrace this, light the fires, read, plan for next spring and try and take the dogs for a walk every day whatever the weather!
FEEDING BIRDS
As the weather changes the birds greedily feed off any seeds and berries in the garden but they soon get taken, so supplementing this natural supply both helps them and provides a fascinating chance to share and observe their world.
In fact I would say that one of the things I most enjoy about winter is watching the birds feed at the table outside our kitchen window. It may not have the glamour of going on safari or a trip to the Galapagos - but it is just as rewarding and right on every gardener’s doorstep.
Obviously it helps for the food to be as calorific as possible and seeds, nuts and fat are best of all. Left-over pastry, bread and rice always get eaten fast and fruit is good, especially for blackbirds and thrushes. Grated cheese is popular as well as cooked (but not raw) potatoes. Avoid anything salty such as crisps, salted peanuts or bacon. I buy dried mealworms too which robins, tits and wrens gobble up greedily. If in doubt sunflower seeds and fatballs - preferably hanging so tits can land on them without being bullied away by more aggressive birds - are invariably popular.
Another way of making sure that all the food does not get gobbled up by pigeons and starlings is to find an old log with lots of cracks and crevices and pour seed over it. The smaller birds will extract every last bit from the fissures that bigger ones cannot reach.
Once you start to feed try and be as regular as possible with the supply, as the birds use up precious energy in coming to your bird table which is then wasted if it is bare. Also always be sure that there is a fresh supply of water for them to drink, especially in freezing weather.
What to do in the garden this month:
PLANT TULIPS
November it is tulip-planting time. This is, to my mind, the most important and best job of the month. It is actually something that can be done at any time between now and Christmas although the earlier they get into the ground the earlier they will flower.
The essential thing with all tulips is to make sure that they have good drainage. This matters less if they are to be treated as annuals and dug up after they have flowered but even so they will be happier with plenty of grit or sand added to heavy soil. If they are to be permanent it is important to plant them as deep as you can - I often use a crowbar to make a hole 12 inches or more deep - and the deeper they are the stronger and straighter the stem will be.
If you are growing them in a container then drainage is easier and they do not have to be so deep and can also be planted in layers - a tulip lasagne, with an earlier variety such as ‘Orange Emperor’ planted deepest that will flower first, followed by a mid-season variety like ‘Negrita’ planted above it and then finally, in the top layer a late-season one such as ‘Queen of Night’.
LIFTING DAHLIAS
Frost reduces Dahlias to blackened tatters so it will be time to bring them in, however the tubers will not be harmed unless the ground freezes, so do not panic.
Wait until the top has fully died back and then cut back the top growth to 6 inches whilst they are still in the ground and carefully dig up the tubers, removing as much soil as possible. Stand them upside down for a few days to drain any moisture from the hollow stems and to let the tubers dry a little and then store them in a tray or pot packed with old potting compost, vermiculite, sharpsand or sawdust.
The idea is to keep them cool but frost-free, dark and dry but not to let them dry out completely or else the tubers will shrivel. I lightly water mine after layering them into large pots or crates and then check them every month to see if any are mouldy or shrivelling up.
LEAVES
Keep gathering fallen leaves, mowing them, keeping them damp and storing in a bay or bin bags to make leafmould. Leaves decompose mostly by fungal action rather than bacterial which means that dry leaves can take an awful long time to turn into the lovely, friable, sweet-smelling soft material that true leafmould invariably becomes. So either gather leaves when they are wet or be prepared to dampen them with a good soaking before covering them up with the next layer.
It also helps a lot to chop them up. The easiest way to do this is to mow them which also gathers them up as you do it. Of course if the leaves are too wet they will clog the mower up so I try and sweep and rake them into a line when dry, run the mower over them and then give them a soak with the hose when they are in the special chicken wire-sided bay. If you don’t have room for a dedicated leaf bay then put the mown leaves into a black bin bag, punch a few drainage holes in the bottom, soak them and let it drain and then store it out of sight. This system works perfectly well, either way the leaves will quietly turn into leafmould over the next six months without any further attention. You can also use them in Spring in a half-decomposed state, as a very good mulch around emerging plants.
PLANT TREES, HEDGES AND SHRUBS
Continue to plant deciduous wood material such as trees, hedges and shrubs. From the beginning of this month nurseries will be selling bare-root plants. Buying woody deciduous shrubs, hedging plants or trees ’bare-root’ - ie straight from the ground and not in a container - tends to be much cheaper, better quality and offers a much wider choice. But this must be planted when dormant so this is becoming a job that needs doing urgently. Plants in pots can wait a little longer if necessary.
As soon as you receive the plants give them a good drink in a bucket of water and keep them moist until ready to plant. Prepare your planting hole, remembering that a wide hole is much better than a deep one, and do not let the roots dry out even for a minute as they will die back very quickly so keep them covered or soaking in a bucket of water until the very last minute. Plant firmly, keeping all the stem above soil level, stake if necessary, water well and then always mulch thickly.
PLANTING PAPERWHITES FOR XMAS
Paperwhite daffodils, narcissi papyraceus, will be flowering for Christmas if you plant them at the beginning of November. Unlike most daffodils, it is native to the Mediterranean and does not require a period of vernalisation - or cold - to induce flowering. So plant the bulbs just beneath the surface of your compost in a container (ideally with drainage but a normal bowl can be used if you add some charcoal to keep the soil sweet) keep them watered but not soggy and place in a warm, light place. The bulbs will grow strongly and if indoors in the warmth, flower in 4 weeks. To delay and prolong flowering keep them cool but frost free.
HARDWOOD CUTTINGS
Hardwood cuttings are easy to take, slow to grow roots but a remarkably straightforward way of creating new shrubs, bushes and even trees from existing favourites. Fruit bushes, roses, any flowering shrub or tree are ideal for this method of propagation. Unlike growing plants from seed, cuttings always ‘come true’ - in other words are exactly like the parent plant so it is the best way of reproducing favourite plants as well as being almost totally trouble free and needing no extra equipment or shelter.
Cut a 12-24 inch length of straight stem the thickness of a pencil of this year’s growth, and divide it into lengths between 6 & 12 inches long. Cut straight across the bottom and at an angle at the top so you remember which way up to plant it and to provide an angle for water to run off.
Strip any remaining leaves from it so you have bare, straight stems and either place the cuttings so only one third is above soil level in a deep pot filled with very gritty compost (4 or 5 can fit into each pot) or outside in a narrow trench backfilled with gritty sand to ensure good drainage. Leave them until next autumn, watering well once a week and a good percentage will make young plants ready for potting up or planting straight out.
CLEAN AND SERVICE LAWN MOWERS
Rather than leaving it till you want to make the first cut of your lawn next Spring, now is the time to give your mower a good once-over before putting them away for the winter. Wash it down and scrape off any encrusted grass. Drain any petrol from the tank. Check all screws and bolts to ensure they are properly tightened. Oil the blades and all moving parts and unless it is running and cutting exceptionally well, take it for a service and sharpen by a professional rather than wait until next Spring when they will be inundated. Finally put it away somewhere dry and safe in the knowledge that when you need it in earnest it will perform properly at the first asking and throughout the next cutting season.
PROTECT GOOD TERRACOTTA POTS
I am not suggesting that you have any bad terracotta pots - heaven forbid- but some are undoubtably more weatherproof-and expensive-than others. The problem to beware is that terracotta is porous so absorbs water. Thus if it is filled with wet soil, hard frost will expand that moisture and crack the pot. Even if it is empty fine terracotta can crack or flake in hard frosts. The answer is either to bring them in under cover where they can be kept dry or to wrap them in hessian or bubblewrap to provide a degree of insulation. This will be enough to protect a favourite pot and avoid a very pricey replacement in Spring.
PLANT GARLIC BULBS
I start planting garlic bulbs in September but it can be done at any time before Christmas to have a good harvest next Summer. The garlic you mostly buy is almost always ‘soft neck’ which has a flexible plaitable stem, stores well (which is why shops stock it) and is often excellent. But many think the best garlic are ‘hard neck’ varieties which have a stiff, upright stalk and tends to have smaller bulbs. However it is just as easy to grow and get hold of from good suppliers and because it is much harder to buy, it makes sense to grow it yourself.
Hardneck varieties such as ‘Red Duke’, ‘Rocambole’, or ‘Early Purple Wight’ are slower to grow so may take a while to appear whereas softneck varieties should start to show shoots after a month or so.
Like all garlic of any type, plant plump individual cloves (the bigger the clove the bigger the bulb it will generate) 6-9 inches apart, pointed end up and buried a good inch below the surface in well-drained soil in a very sunny position that has plenty of organic material dug into it. Shoots will appear in about 6-8 weeks.
