This is the ideal month for tidying up! Tidy and prune your hedges, trees and borders.
Don’t be too tidy if you want to attract wildlife to your garden throughout the winter. Seed heads and fallen leaves make great hiding places for over wintering insects and bugs.
- Now is the perfect time to transplant trees and shrubs. Don’t forget to dig out a large root ball and replant as soon as possible to prevent the roots from drying out.
- Plant a winter container, there should still be plenty of winter bedding available. Winter heathers or ornamental cabbages look good too!
- You can continue to transplant your perennials.
- Clear and prepare the ground ready for next years fruit or veg patch. Clear the crops that have finished and dig in some farmyard manure.
- Grease bands should be applied to fruit trees to protect them from the winter months.
Tender young plants should be protected from wind and frost. - Windowsill crops such as salad leaves and herbs can still be sown. Have you ever thought about having a go with an indoor mushroom kit?
- Give your lawn a good rake to remove any debris. If you haven’t already applied an autumn or winter fertiliser now is the time to do so.
- Pot up some spring flowering bulbs for indoor colour during the winter. Store the pots in a cool, dark place, until new growth emerges from the soil, and then move them to a bright window.
- Drain your hoses so that they don’t freeze.
- Don’t forget to feed the birds!
