Flower Garden.

• Regularly remove any fallen leaves from borders and lawns to prevent the spread of over wintering pests and diseases.
  
• If you have a greenhouse clear it out and give it a good clean. Remove any painted glass shading and install plastic bubble wrap for insulation.
  
• Remove any remaining summer bedding from both containers and borders and replace with plants such as pansies, bellis and wallflowers that will see you through to the spring.
  
• Pot up prepared hyacinth bulbs to have flowers at Christmas and New Year.
  
• Make sure all planted containers are raised off the ground with pot feet so that they drain well in rainy weather.
  
• Continue to plant spring flowering bulbs, except tulips, so that you have a succession of flowers. If you choose the right varieties you can have bulbs in flower from January to May.
  
• Net your pond to prevent falling leaves going in and decomposing in the water.
  
• Prune bush roses by half to prevent them rocking in very windy weather which can loosen them at their roots. Also prune climbing roses now.

 
Lawns.

• Keep as many leaves off the lawn as possible to prevent them blocking out light and air and damaging the grass.
  
• This is the last chance to scarify, aerate and top dress the lawn if it was not done in September.
  
• If the weather is very wet keep off the lawn as much as possible.
  
• If the grass is still growing it is fine to carry on mowing.

 
Fruit and Vegetable.

• Lift and divide old rhubarb crowns that are more than five years old. Make sure that all the divisions have two or more fat pink buds.
  
• After preparing the ground really well you can plant new fruit trees and bushes now.
  
• Prune out any diseased or dead shoots on apple and pear trees and collect any fallen fruits or dead fruits on the trees. It is important to maintain hygiene in the fruit garden to prevent the spread of diseases.
  
• Remove yellow foliage and unwanted runners from strawberry plants and also any plants that look as if they are diseased.
  
• Sow over wintering broad beans. It helps if you can cover them with fleece to stop pigeons getting at them.
  
• Plant out spring cabbages and these need netting to protect from pigeons.
  
• Clear your old pea and bean plants by cutting off the tops to add to the compost heap. The roots can be dug back into the ground to provide extra nitrogen to the soil.
  
• Dig over any vacant areas of the vegetable garden and leave for the frost to break down the clods into finer particles.

 
Wildlife.

• Always keep your bird bath clean and topped up with fresh water. If there is a very cold spell and the water is frozen over it is very important to keep the bird bath free of ice as it usually means all other water supplies will be frozen too and yours may be the only drinking water they can find.
  
• Any type of bird food can now be used as the breeding season is over.
  
• Leave a heap of leaves in a sheltered corner of the garden for hibernating mammals and insects, which will attract ground feeding birds.
  
• If you have an old ivy plant do not cut it back now as it will provide late nectar for insects.

 
Looking Good This Month.

Acer Varieties - Brilliant foliage turning yellow, bronze or red.

Anemone Hybrida - Japanese anemone. Tall stems with white or pink flowers.

Colchicum - Autumn crocus/naked ladies as the flower appears without leaf.

Malus Varieties - Crab apple trees with colourful fruits.

Nerine Bowdenii - Masses of pink blooms on naked stems.

Parthenocissus - Virginia creeper with leaves turning fiery red.

Physalis - Cape gooseberry or Chinese lantern. Papery red lanterns.

Rosa rugosa -Rose with bright scarlet hips.

Schizostylis - Kaffir lily. Exotic looking gladiolus type flowers.

Sorbus varieties - Rowan. Large clusters of bright red fruits.




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