Tips of the Month November & December 2023

Continue jobs from October tips, as the weather is still very mild and the wet soil is still good for planting in.

It’s still not too late to plant bulbs tulips actually benefit from being planted later when it gets colder – so the end of November into December is a perfect time to plant them.

A lot of annual & ‘ephemeral’ weeds continue to grow due to the mild wet weather so continue to weed – especially where weeds are competing with growing plants.

Continue to add mulches – garden compost, spent pot compost and manure to bare soil patches.

Resist cutting back vegetation until February/early March as wildlife will benefit from dying seed heads and dead flower stalks etc.

Make sure bird feeders are kept topped up and provide water for birds and other wildlife to drink. We are told to clean bird feeders when refilling them to prevent birds from being infected with disease from dirty bird feeders.

December is the month when I go out and collect greenery from the garden to bring in for Christmas decorations.

Ask for plants for Christmas – bare root shrubs, roses, fruit trees can be planted bare root between November and February (providing the ground is not frozen).