Gardening? In November?
What picture comes to your mind’s eye
when you think of the month of November?
Bitingly cold, frosty mornings? Ever shortening days, wet and windy
weather, trees shedding their leaves? None of these images are particularly uplifting
or positive and it’s no wonder we look forward to November the 5th
and the warmth of a bonfire and the brightness of fireworks. The thought of
sparkly tinsel and twinkling Christmas lights are on the horizon too. Thoughts
of gardens and gardening have probably been put to the back of your mind, not
to be retrieved until the first glimmers and stirring of spring.
There are however, early winter, garden related
activities that can be done in this most unpromising of months. A couple of
very rewarding activities involve taking a critical look at your garden before
heading off to look at some of the fabulous ‘Big House’ gardens that surround
us in Gloucestershire. I find that black
and white, winter photographs of a garden really do help me to see the
strengths and weaknesses of its structural planting and features. If the photo’s of your garden reveal weaknesses
such as little or no evergreen planting or the opportunity for a focal point (a
sculpture, bird bath, striking plant shape, emphasised view), a visit to a well
established garden might well provide inspiration.
Many people regard this season as the
end of the gardening year, but really it should be seen as the beginning. Work
done now will lay the foundations for a better garden next year. We all make
mistakes when planning a border and now is the perfect time to move plants
around. Start with the big plants and take as much soil with the roots as you
can. Mulch them and water well when not frosty; and continue watering until
this time next year.
More practical garden tasks for this
time of year include planting next year’s tulip bulbs. Make a hole 4 times the
bulbs height and put a generous sized fistful of horticultural grit into the
bottom of the hole. The grit will stop the bulb sitting in cold, sodden rot
inducing soil. Other seasonal jobs are
the clearing of ponds of autumn debris, collecting leaves for making next
winters leaf mould, manure vegetable beds, taking cuttings to increase your
stock of plants, planting bare-rooted roses, trees and shrubs, cleaning and
disinfecting the greenhouse and used pots, cleaning bird boxes of old nesting
material, checking tree ties and stakes, (they can be either too tight or
falling off).
The two photographs shown here
illustrate how evergreen structural planting can give winter interest and how a
simple focal point comes into its own in winter.
Geoff Carr @GeoffCarr2
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