As autumn fades into winter, November is a crucial time to prepare your garden for the colder months ahead. At Love Plants in Shrewsbury, we want to help you keep your garden thriving year-round. From planting spring bulbs to protecting your delicate plants, here’s what you should focus on for your November gardening plans.

Ready Your Flowers for Autumn

• Plant Tulips: November is your last chance to plant tulips for a beautiful spring display. Plant them in well-drained soil or containers for best results.
• Winter Bedding: Brighten up your garden by planting winter bedding plants like wallflowers, pansies, and violas. These hardy flowers will add a splash of colour through the colder months.
• Raise Containers: To improve drainage and prevent waterlogging, raise containers on pot feet, especially as the weather gets wetter.
• Prune Roses: To prevent damage from winter winds, prune back Roses by up to half. This will stop them from rocking and damaging their roots.
• Lift Tender Bulbs: If you haven’t already done so, lift and store Dahlias, Cannas, Begonias, and Gladioli. Clean them, remove any dead foliage, and keep them in a frost-free shed or garage.
• Divide Herbaceous Perennials: If you didn’t manage to divide your herbaceous perennials in October, there’s still time to do so now. Enrich the soil with compost before replanting to give them a strong foundation for next season.

• Sow Broad Beans: Sow Aquadulce Claudia or Sutton Broad Beans in modules or directly into the soil. These will crop next spring, but make sure to protect them from pests like mice and slugs.
• Plant Onions and Garlic: Plant overwintering Onions and Garlic to get a head start on next year’s harvest.
• Harvest Winter Veg: Continue harvesting winter crops such as cabbage, cauliflower, kale, leeks, sprouts, celeriac, lettuce, beetroot, carrots, and turnips. After the first frost, start digging up parsnips, which will be sweeter thanks to the cold.
• Protect Winter Brassicas: Cover winter brassicas with netting to protect them from pigeons, and stake them to prevent wind damage.
• Prepare Asparagus Beds: Prepare new beds for asparagus planting in the spring. On established beds, cut back foliage, weed, and apply a layer of manure.
• Manure and Mulch: Add fresh manure to your beds, covering it with plastic or cardboard to allow it to break down over the winter, improving your soil for next year’s crops.
• Check Stored Veg: Inspect stored vegetables regularly and discard any that show signs of rot to prevent the spread of disease.

Getting Fruit Set for Autumn

• Divide Rhubarb: Every few years, it’s beneficial to dig up and split Rhubarb roots. Replant them with plenty of manure to keep these hungry plants thriving.
• Plant Dormant Fruit Trees: November is the ideal time to plant fruit trees and bushes like raspberries, blackberries, and apples while they are dormant. Ensure trees are staked when planting to prevent root damage from strong winds.
• Prune Fruit Trees: Between now and the end of February, prune apple, pear, and quince trees to encourage healthy growth next season.
• Prevent Winter Moth Damage: Apply grease bands to fruit trees to prevent winter moths from laying eggs, which could damage your crop next year.
• Clear Fallen Fruit: Remove any rotting fruit from the ground and from trees to prevent Brown Rot from spreading to next year’s harvest.
• Check Stored Fruit: Regularly check stored fruit for signs of rot, and remove any affected pieces immediately.

Getting Trees and Shrubs for Autumn 

• Plant Deciduous Trees and Shrubs: November is perfect for planting deciduous trees and shrubs while the soil is still warm. Use Rootgrow mycorrhizal fungi to help establish healthy roots, and apply a thick layer of mulch to protect them during the winter.
• Bare-Rooted Plants: You can now buy and plant bare-rooted trees, shrubs, and hedging as the trees have dropped their leaves, making it the perfect time for planting.

General Garden Maintenance in November 

• Greenhouse Maintenance: Give your greenhouse a thorough clean and disinfect, including the glass. Replace any broken panes, and prepare for frosty nights by setting up a heater. During sunny days, open the door to allow ventilation.
• Water Butts: Clean out water butts now, so they can refill with fresh rainwater during the winter.
• Use Spent Compost: Reuse spent compost from pots and bedding as mulch on your flowerbeds, enriching the soil.
• Make Leaf Mould: Sweep up fallen leaves and shred them to create leaf mould, a valuable soil conditioner for next year. Avoid composting leaves from fruit trees or roses if they show signs of disease.
• Lawn Care: Edge your lawn to keep it tidy and aerate by spiking the grass to improve drainage over the winter months.
• Cut Holly for Christmas: If you have holly with berries, cut some now and store it in a bucket of water in the shed to keep it fresh for Christmas displays. This will also prevent the birds from eating the berries!
• Build Raised Beds: If you’re thinking about creating new vegetable plots, consider building raised beds this month. They make gardening easier and improve drainage during the wetter months.

Visit Love Plants for Your November Gardening Needs

For all the supplies and expert advice you need to prepare your garden this winter, visit Love Plants at Salop Leisure in Shrewsbury. Whether you’re looking for winter bedding, fruit trees, or compost, we have everything you need to keep your garden in top condition. Come and see us today and get ready for a thriving garden next spring!