In the garden: November colour and winter tasks 

The month of November is when things start to look a bit stark in the garden and the bare bones start to be revealed.

Leaves are falling at a more rapid rate with autumn colour in overdrive. It is the month when the reality of winter begins to set in, with the weather not as clement as it has been for the out-of- door pursuits that we gardeners enjoy.

Often, the soil becomes sodden underfoot, making conditions for working and even walking in the garden a bit tricky.

Perennials that were putting on a good show until now are beginning to fade fast, but do not feel the need to get tidying up too much this November. Consider leaving some herbaceous stems standing, with or without seed heads - these can be important overwintering locations for insects, which are valuable allies in the garden.

If these stems are left in place and ‘chopped and dropped’ when the time comes next spring (before the new growth emerges from the base), then beneficial insects like ladybirds and lacewings can overwinter in the garden and remain at the location where they are most useful to us, in the middle of beds and borders, on site for pest control.

If material is chopped down and taken to the compost heap then they have to make their way back.

It is all labour saving, better for biodiversity, and better for keeping the balance for pest control through natural predators in our gardens.

Any seed heads left will be useful for birds as a food source over the winter months, as well as looking good.

Teasel is one of the most sculptural and conspicuous in the garden over the winter months with its spiky seed heads, which are home to large seeds that are a favourite among goldfinches, greenfinches, chaffinches and sparrows. A lovely sight to see a flock of birds lifting out of an area of wildflowers after feeding a while.

It’s also time to get the bird feeders out and cleaned, while the bird baths will enable them to keep their feathers clean and provide good insulation for the winter months.

Collecting leaves is a favourite pastime among gardeners this month. A good leaf rake is one of my favourite garden tools.

Deciduous leaves can be bagged, composted on their own in a heap, or added to the general compost heap. It can be useful to chop them up with the lawnmower to hasten breakdown before adding them to the compost, particularly larger, tougher leaves like magnolia which can take a long time to break down.

They can also be raked onto beds and borders to create a mulch. It’s always best to have any perennial weeds removed before doing this.

No need for daily or even weekly leaf blowing as this is very disruptive to any insect life, but it is good to keep paths and regularly trafficked routes clear of leaves which can become slippery and dangerous over the winter months.

Lots of leaves falling on grass will kill an area over the winter months so it’s best to gather them now.

If leaves are left to gather on gravel paths then this will create a medium for weeds to seed and grow into, so it’s also best to keep these areas clear.

Deciduous leaves are a great source of organic matter and they may take some time to breakdown, but when they do they add water storing capacity and nutrition to the soil, both of which will serve plant growth well.

It is, of course, a great month to plant spring flowering bulbs, an undertaking that will be much appreciated early next year as we greet the new growing year.

It is best that the temperatures have dropped back before getting bulbs into the ground, so that they stay dormant until the soil begins to heat up in springtime.

Daffodils are some of the best as they reappear every year and naturalise in the garden, creating clumps over time.

It is a joy to build a collection of different types and watch them push up each spring, revealing their different shaped and coloured flowers.

Remember, as a general rule, to plant bulbs at approximately two and a half times their depth - this means that the bigger the bulb, the deeper the hole.

Plant of the Week

November can be a great month for autumn colour in the garden, provided the weather plays ball.

This year is looking good, with leaves just starting to turn on many trees as we have not had too many windy days or frosty mornings just yet thankfully.

Cherry trees are great for autumn colour as well as providing great spring flower display. There are many species and cultivars to choose from and lots of them are a suitable size and shape for small gardens.

Prunus sargentii, or Sargents Cherry, has many admirable characteristics. It is considered a medium sized tree with an open vase shape, getting to 10-12 metres tall and 6-8 metres wide. It produces pink flowers in April before the bronze/red leaves emerge.

The leaves go green for summer and then in autumn they turn shades of orange and red.

In addition to all of this, it has attractive dark brown bark and it can have fruits after flowering in shades of yellow, orange, red and purple which the birds love.

This is what you call a hard-working tree in the garden, providing several seasons of interest.

As we enter into tree planting season, this is a good tree to consider, particularly for moisture-retentive soil in an exposed or sheltered site.