And now it is almost November, this spring is proving to be a challenge weather-wise, with much-needed rain arriving alongside a bitterly cold spell. Those relentless winds were hard on flowering cherries; sadly, they couldn’t hold their blossom for long, but things will move now because November really is when the garden comes alive.
Roses and peonies are nearly ready for their grand display, stepping in to take over from the camellias, rhododendrons, viburnums, lilacs, and azaleas. Forget-me-nots are also finishing their show; instead of pulling them out, cut them back hard, and they’ll quickly green up to form neat summer clumps, flowering again next spring.
Irises are pushing through thick buds now. Remove any mulch from around the rhizomes so they can bask in the sun; I always admire drifts of iris planted en masse, though most town gardens don’t have space for letting irises take over ground that will only hold them.
Dahlias: I have had to protect my new dahlia growth from late frost, which blackened leaves. Thankfully, the tubas sent up new leaves, so the protection will go on until frosts are no more.
With tulips and other spring bulbs dying back, resist the urge to tidy too soon; let the green tops wither naturally to feed the bulbs for next year. Push or twist them out of sight under shrubs until they lose vigour. If you like to remove and store them, this can be done now, but leave green tops on to die back. Now is the time to plan your summer colour. Try cosmos, marigolds, petunias, bedding dahlias and blue salvias to fill gaps where bulbs have finished.
Cat-mint is starting to show its first flush of colour; it’s a pretty edging plant that can be cut back after flowering to bloom again later. If dividing, pull off rooted sections from the main clump, pot them up, and grow them on for new garden edging elsewhere.
Keep trimming spent blooms from perennials and daisy bushes to encourage bushy growth and continuous flowering; allowing them to seed will only make them woody. Chrysanthemums and perennial asters can be shortened back now to prevent them from growing too tall and flopping over later; they’ll still flower at summer’s end. Chrysanthemum tips can be placed in river sand to root for new plants.
Hedges: Hold off trimming soft new growth until it has firmed later in the month, especially on box hedges, as cutting too early only encourages more tender regrowth. Viburnum and lonicera hedges, however, can be shaped now, and all soft trimmings make excellent additions to the compost or garden mulch.
Lawns: Grass, grass, grass, so much mowing! If you haven’t sprayed for weeds, you can spread your clippings lightly around the garden as humus, just not in thick piles. Spread evenly so they break down quickly. With soil now warm, re-sown patches from moss or grass grub damage will establish quickly if kept moist and protected from birds; shade cloth works well until the seed germinates.
Vegetable: Growth will take off now after the rain. Potatoes should be ready for mounding, root crops for thinning, and leafy vegetables will run to seed quickly from now on. Young broad bean plants may have been deformed by wind, but mine, already in flower, are showing no sign of rust or aphids. The soil is warm enough now for runner and French beans, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, and all members of the pumpkin family. If you’re keen to expand your food garden, now is the perfect time to make a no-dig bed. Choose a sunny spot on bare soil and layer materials: dampened newspaper, manure, compost, leaf mulch, straw, and soil. Water between each layer, finishing with straw on top to suppress weeds and deter slugs. Within six weeks, you’ll be harvesting fresh produce, and the soil beneath will teem with worms and life.
Fruit trees and berry bushes will start thriving now, as long as the bees were able to stand up to the winds for their pollinating job. Mulch generously around the drip line of all fruiting plants to conserve moisture as fruit forms. A sprinkle of potash around the base helps promote flowering and fruiting.
Cheers,
Linda
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