November can be a lovely time in the garden with cold but sunny days and crisp frosts. It is a great time for all those tidying up jobs and ones which you didn't finish in the late summer before Christmas preparations take over.
Trees & Shrubs
Deciduous trees and shrubs can be pruned throughout the winter, not forgetting the fruit trees which have to be pruned in the dormant season. Remember that Apple trees fruit on second year wood. Keep your eye on dead and diseased wood whilst also watching out for Canker. A good pruning book is RHS Pruning by Christopher Brickell.
Now is the best time to plant Roses. You can buy them as bare root plants, which is a more economical way of buying them. David Austin produces some lovely old English Rose’s, both climbers and shrubs, with most of them being highly scented.
Rose Pruning
Reduce roses in height to prevent wind rock; winter winds can damage the root system and cause the plant to die. Wait until mid February to prune them fully.
Winter Colour and Interest
Try to keep as much winter interest in the garden as possible; leaving foliage on herbaceous perennials can look very attractive in winter frosts. Leave winter twigs for colour e.g. Cornus (dogwood) and then cut them down in early spring.
A good winter job is digging the vegetable patch over as the frost will break down the clods and improve the soil structure.
Herbaceous Perennials
Carry on dividing and slitting herbaceous perennials this is a great practice to work through in the dormant season, reducing overcrowded and outgrown clumps. It produces more plants to put in other parts of the garden but watch out for Ground Elder and Bindweed in your divided clumps, you do not want to spread theses all over the garden.
Happy gardening!
Charles Blumlein
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