November 2023
Once again, the lateness of the summer has meant plants are still flowering, also some spring
flowering shrubs are in bloom. Do not worry we have to accept these anomalies with the weather
patterns we age getting.
If you can, use a rotary mower to collect the leaves when they have fallen on paths and lawns. These
can then be stored in black bags or piled into a heap to rot down and make into leafmould which is
wonderful to add to your potting compost or use as a mulch. Always make sure that the leaves are
wet as they will not rot down if they are dry. Remember not to burn leaves but to store them.
It is at this time of the year the seed catalogues come out – you can also see many more on-line
these days. So enjoy a cold autumn evening looking through and sorting out what you would like to
sow next year. It is always good to try new varieties along side your regular ones.
Check over your bird feeders and nest boxes so that they are clean and tidy. If you feed birds around
roses, fruit bushes and old herbaceous plants they will feed on any over wintering pests lurking in
the foliage while they wait their turn at the feeders. Check out leaf piles to see if any hedgehogs are
sheltering in them before disturbing the pile. The bee boxes that you put up during the summer can
now be taken into a cool dry shed to store over the winter and then placed back outside next spring.
These are vital pollinators for the early fruit trees.
Keep an eye on the tubs planted up with bulbs. They need to be kept cool and on the drier side so
make sure they are looked after over the autumn/winter period.
enjoy.. Geoff.