Mzzz B's November Garden Blog

Autumn flowering camellia sasanqua

Japanese maple(acer)

Autumn coloursare like the warm remnant of summer sun, they are beginning to show in the garden now. It is interesting to see what plants have good autumn colour. Cold nights and warm days are meant to make the colours better. However the photo of the Japanese maple is a little young tree in a pot, and I have never seen one so bright pink before, is it because it is in a pot? There are a number of plants and trees that are renowned for good autumn colour and it is well worth adding this to your garden as bright colours seems to bring light to a dull misty day. 
When most of the garden is shutting down it also always welcome to have a new flowering plant in the garden at this time of year. If you have a warm sheltered wall the camellia is well worth growing, it also has a perfume!

Jobs for the November

• Plant tulip bulbs, but protect pots of tulips with holly leaves or fine mesh,as mice love to eat them.
• Cut back plants like peonies, that have toppled over onto other plants. Cut away all dead and rotting leaves from plants, leave seedheads.which provide winter interest, and stems of plants to about 30 cms high for insects to overwinter, cutting these finally back before the new growth starts in early spring.
• Start the no dig method on veg plots, dig up perennial weeds, but leave the rest of the plot undug, cover with cardboard and a thick layer of compost. This preserves the soil structure and the microorganisms which live in the soil and keep it healthy.
• Weed and mulch borders either with compost of leaf mould.
• Plant garlic, onions and shallots in free draining soil, and cover with fleece.
• When all the leaves have fallen start to prune apple trees.
• Think about ordering seed for next year, but to save money as well as saving your own seed,you can use most seed that you may not have used last year, except parsnips. Most other seed will keep for a year or two as long as they have been kept reasonably dry and cool.
• Join Tattenhall Gardening Society and get 50% of all seed from Dobies.

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