Woodlands Nurseries
November Tips

November

Flowers

• Empty delicate, glazed or ceramic pots, wash and move into a shed for the winter
• Lift and divide congested clumps of perennials
• Move shrubs that have outgrown their position or are in the wrong place
• Prepare areas to plant new roses
• Start taking hardwood cuttings from suitable roses, shrubs and trees
• Remove suckers from the base of trees
• Collect seeds and berries from shrubs and flowering plants
• Plant out winter bedding such as pansies

In the greenhouse

• Wash off summer shading paint form your greenhouse and clean it inside and out
• Clean all your pots and seed trays in preparation for spring
• Clear old pots and grow bags, adding any surplus material to the compost heap
• Sow pots of hardy winter lettuce
• Bring dormant cyclamen pot plants back into growth by watering, taking care not to over water
• Bring tender plants under cover now, including standard fuchsias
• Insulate the greenhouse from frost, products such as bubble wrap works well

Fruit and vegetables

• Sow broad beans in early November for harvest in May or June
• Sow hardy peas or mange tout under cloches
• Cover herbs and salad plants with cloches to provide protection during winter months
• Prune out fruited blackberry canes and tie-in new shoots to replace them
• Spread a thick mulch of compost around fruit bushes and trees and along rows of cane fruits to improve the soil and help keep them cropping
• Harvest carrots to prevent pest attack. Cut back foliage to within an inch of the carrot, then store in boxes between layers of dry compost or sand

Around the garden

• Put away hosepipes over the winter
• Wrap insulation around outside taps to stop them freezing
• Dig over vacant soil and spread a thick layer of compost on the surface
• Remove pumps and filters from ponds and bubble fountains
• Spike compacted lawns and brush grit or sand into the holes
• Buy roses, trees and shrubs, prepare the soil for planting
• Install a water butt in preparation for watering the garden next year
• Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent water logging
• Put out bird food to encourage winter birds into the garden
• Use a seasonal bonfire to dispose of excess debris unfit for composting. Check with your local council to see if this is allowed