Now that autumn has well and truly made its mark on our beloved gardens, once again we find ourselves reaching that point of the year where the weather takes a rather noticeable nosedive and the nights draw in a little closer. However, fear not, the colourful season of bonfires and firework displays is in full swing, giving us all a great excuse to wrap up warm and venture out into our gardens. For those of us keen to host this year’s firework displays, it is important to make sure your garden is in tip-top shape and ready to welcome friends and family over for the celebrations. November is a great time to be looking after your garden, there are plenty of gardening jobs to keep you busy, from protecting vulnerable species from the winter cold to planting your favourite spring flowering bulbs. So why not dig out your gardening gloves this weekend and get your garden set to embrace the wintery months ahead, as well as getting it looking its very best in time for Spring. If the arrival of November has got your green fingers going but left a little stuck for inspiration, we have a number of seasonal gardening tips for November help to get you started:
Protect Your Garden Against Frost
November is the last month of Autumn, which can mean only one thing, Winter is just around the corner. Whilst the chillier months can bring beautiful morning frosts, they can also wreak havoc on our gardens which means gardening activities still need to feature highly on our list of ‘things to do’ if our gardens are to remain protected throughout the year. If you have a number of outdoor containers filled with some of your favourite shrubs, plants or trees then it can be a good idea to wrap them in bubble wrap to provide a little extra protection. This will not only help shield your pots from frost damage, but will also provide a little extra insulation for roots that can become easily damaged in cold weather. It might also worth raising some of your containers onto feet this month, as bursts of heavy rain can lead to waterlogging which roots will not find overly welcoming. If you are known to grow your own fruit, vegetables or herbs throughout the year and rely on your greenhouse then November is a good time to thinking about additional insulation. Something as simple as adding bubble wrap to walls, doors and ceilings can provide a pretty substantial level of protection against winter frosts. On the subject of greenhouses, it is try giving all glass a good clean this month to really help maximise the light able to access the plants. Also if you do have any potted bulbs sitting outside, now is the time to bring them inside for extra protection
Pay Attention to Winter Beds
The days may be greyer and days shorter but that shouldn't mean your garden beds can’t shine throughout the winter months, so why not have a think about which winter bedding plants you would like to see this year. Species such as wallflowers and winter pansies add some fantastic colour to even the dullest of days, and because they are available in a range of shades you can choose the perfect blooms to suit your own tastes. Bedding plants are perfect for filling gaps and creating full textures, which is why so many people choose to incorporate them into their November gardening plans. If you are trying to find the perfect plants for but need a little more information why not try visiting the gardening section of our website and using our online Plant Finder. This fully comprehensive guide features descriptions, guides and information on an extensive range of species to help you carefully create your dream garden in no time.
Prepare Your Garden for Spring
It may seem a little way off yet but thinking now about how you would like your garden to look next Spring could really pay off, not only will you have some beautiful surprises to look forward to but it’s also a great distraction from some of the harsher weather around at the moment. There are plenty of varieties to choose from such as tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, winter aconites and russian snowdrops each offering different colours, textures and shapes for your Spring garden. The biggest job for now is deciding which ones. Luckily for you here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we are now stocking a wide range of spring flowering bulbs, so pop along to one of our centres where our friendly team of gardening experts will be on hand to point you in the right direction.
Garden Creatures
Over the colder months of Autumn a number of small creatures can find their way into your garden which can be great for wildlife spotting, but also a little bit of a nuisance if pests are not kept at bay. If you are one to grow your own and have taken the time to grow fruit trees in your garden, they could become exposed to moth damage over the winter months. One of the best ways to help prevent and manage this is to apply grease bands to trees as soon as possible, certainly as part of Novembers gardening tasks, to really help protect trees over the colder months. If of course, you enjoy a spot of bird watching throughout the year, then this month you should fill up any bird feeders to help attract different species to your garden as winter can be a hard time for birds too. Here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we offer a range of bird and wildlife products at very competitive prices.
General Garden Health
Keeping on top of your garden in November will see you tending to a number of different general housekeeping tasks so you shouldnt be short of things to do this month. If you have any fading herbaceous perennials, such as peonies or daisies,now is the time to start cutting them back for the winter add any cutting straight to the compost heap. If you happen to notice any overgrown clumps growing then carefully dig them up and separate out really help give them the best chance at regrowth when spring comes back around. For some of the less hardy varieties of perennials such as Phygelius, Kniphofia or Agapanthus, it might be worth looking into purchasing some good quality mulch. For those a little new to the idea, mulch is a nutrient mixture of natural materials that can be spread over the soil to aid growth and generally improve soil quality. If you are a keen rose grower, then this month it would be a good idea to remove and (possibly burn if you are safely able to) any dead leaves to keep on top of black spot which will only hinder growth. This month weeds will also need to be taken care of, although it may not necessarily be peak weed-growing weather, throughout November it might be worth investing in some high quality but rather mild weed killers. Any weeds peeking through can be instantly treated and kept in check for winter time to give your plants shrubs and trees the best chance at success.
November at Tates Of Sussex Garden Centres
Here at Tates of Sussex we are more than just a garden centre, infact our team of green-fingered enthusiasts have years of experience in all things gardening, going beyond most gardening centers to offer our customers a range of services and guidance.We are excited to announce the arrival of our wide range of spring flowering bulbs, which ready and waiting to be planted in your beautiful gardens. If you are thinking about hosting a firework display from home, here at Tates of Sussex Garden Centres we stock a range of fireworks available for purchase so do call in to one of our centres where our friendly team of experts will be on hand to help you make the right purchase. If you would like any further gardening advice please do not hesitate to get in touch and a member of our friendly staff will be more than happy to speak with you.
