Gardening column: November 2024
November is a significant month in the gardening and wildlife year, as it is generally `the turning point between milder autumn weather and the first frosts of winter.
You may notice more birds in your garden, as natural food starts to get scarce – so make sure that they have plenty of food and water.
By feeding a variety seeds and fruits you can cater for many different species. Finches, house sparrows, blue tits, great tits and coal tits like a mix of seeds including sunflower hearts.
Goldfinches are particularly fond of nyjer seeds, woodpeckers love peanuts and thrushes and blackbirds will take raisins and other fruit like windfall apples.
It’s also a great time to plant bare-rooted trees and shrubs, which are dormant when planted but then have the full season to grow as soon as temperatures increase in spring.
If you want to attract birds to nest in your garden then think about planting a native shrub. Research by the British Trust for Ornithology suggests that given the choice, birds prefer to nest in native shrubs rather than non native.
The top five native shrubs for wildlife are hawthorn, holly, pussy willow, dogwood and dog rose.
Dog Rose Rosa canina is a vigorous, fast growing shrub that’s often grown as a hedge, with pretty pink flowers in summer.
Although it tends to reach around a height of 2m as a hedge, if given enough support it will climb up other shrubs or trees.
Wild roses flower just once, rather than repeat flowering throughout summer and into autumn. Their summer flowers are followed by a prolific display of vibrant rose hips, which are eaten by birds such as blackbirds and redwings as well as small mammals like squirrels.
Dog Roses thrive in full sun, and well drained soils. They also flower on the previous year’s stems, so don’t prune too heavily or you won’t have many flowers in the summer.
If you have other roses in the garden then don’t forget to give them a light prune now to stop wind rock over winter.
Additional top jobs for gardeners this month include:
Clear up fallen leaves, especially from lawns, ponds and beds. You can leave some amongst your shrubs and herbaceous plants to break down and enrich the soil. This will ensure earthworms and other soil organisms have plenty of food. Cleared leaves can be composted or made into leaf mould.
Raise containers onto pot feet to prevent them from water-logging and keep the bottom of the pot out of water. This will also stop the compost from freezing. For added protection against frost, wrap pots in biodegradable fleece or put them under temporary cover.
Perfect time for planting new fruit trees and bushes, but only if the ground is not frosted or too wet. You can also dig over and weed vacant areas of the vegetable plot or garden incorporating well-rotted organic matter.
Plus, here’s what the experts have to say …
Winter is on its way - leaves are falling rapidly, and wind and rain are on the increase. Tender plants will need protecting from frost, gales and freezing rains.
Move plants into the greenhouse, or into a sheltered spot, but if you can’t it is worth wrapping or fleecing plants or pots. Remember winter can be a tough time for birds in terms of water and food, so keep supplies well topped up - RHS
November is the ideal month to start making plans for next year. Be ruthless with plants that performed badly; remove and replace with a better variety. Make notes of all your good ideas, ready for next year. Don’t be too efficient during your final tidy up of the year. Provide over-wintering nooks and crannies for helpful garden creatures such as hedgehogs, toads and ladybirds. Leave tufty grasses, small log heaps and piles of leaves to keep them safe until next spring - Garden Organic
November is tulip-planting time. This is the best job of the month and is actually something that can be done any time between now and Christmas, although the earlier the bulbs go into the ground, the earlier they will flower. The essential thing with all tulips is to make sure that they have good drainage – they will be happier
with plenty of grit and sand added to heavy soil - Monty Don
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