by Janis on 25th November 2022 / 0 comments
My 400 bulbs have been planted
This last month in the southeast of the UK, the weather has certainly been a mixed bag. The temperature has been reasonably mild; however, it just seems to have been continually raining.
And yes, you guessed it, we still have a hosepipe ban.
Pinterest?
Why not Pin it for later?
Fuchsia still flowering
There are a few trees hanging on to their russet autumnal foliage, and the worms in our lawn are out in force. This is undoubtedly a good sign, but not so good when the earth mounds appear once you’ve trimmed the lawn.
What we’ve been up to this month
In the garden and on the websiteWith the rainy days becoming more frequent, it has been a challenge heading out into the garden to plant my bulbs. However, at least the earth was moist, making it a little easier to dig into the beds.
When I was selecting the mountain of late winter and spring flowering bulbs from J. Parker’s, I initially had around 600 bulbs in my online basket. I’m so pleased I trimmed it back.
Bulbs ready for pots
Although that still meant I had 400 bulbs to either plant in pots on our courtyard patio or nestle them in our garden beds.
Needless to say, over a few dry days, my mission was accomplished. Take a peek at Our spring bulb purchases; hopefully, they will look beautiful next year.
With Christmas just a few weeks away, you may be trying to decide what to buy for that special gardener in your life. I’ve put together some perfect gardening Christmas gifts that I love to use; there may be something for you.
Achievements for November
Let’s keep ticking those boxesI’m still raking the leaves from the lawn; this feels like painting the Forth Bridge. You clear them, turn your back, and they return.
I think my main November achievement is planting all our new bulbs; I can’t wait for spring.
Mahonia in November
So, let’s see what we’ve managed to tick off for November.
Plant out our 400 new bulbs.
Cleared more of the old bedding plants from our patio pots, which have stopped flowering, and filled them with spring bulbs.
Trimmed back the lavender in the front garden.
Continue mowing the lawn while it’s still flourishing.
Tidy up the front garden.
Continue to manage and prune our overgrown and unruly shrubs in the Secret Garden.
Lessons learnt & mistakes made
You live and learnIt’s been a quieter month for learning new lessons; although I do have a slight concern regarding the depth, I have planted some of my bulbs. I fear I may have planted some a little deep in the patio pots, but only time will tell.
Also, I fear our unruly geraniums are back with a vengeance. I’m not quite sure how to tackle these, as I don’t want to go at them gung-ho and lift other plants; however, something needs to be done.
Our plans for the coming month
What’s on your to-do list?Continue to clear the weeds and unwanted planting in the Cottage Garden section.
Keep cutting back and managing our overgrown and unruly shrubs in the Secret Garden. Ensure we keep filling our garden waste bin.
Progress with planning the different garden sections and understanding the likes and dislikes of our plants.
Manage the courtyard patio and clear the last of the pots. Although our fuchsias are still looking lush from their vigorous spring prune.
Prune our two standard roses. Now I’ve read conflicting information regarding pruning roses. We live in the southeast of the UK, where the winters are milder, and I’ve read they can be pruned in Nov/Dec, although I’m now considering Jan/Feb. What are your thoughts?
Please let us know what you have planned in your garden this month; we’d love to know.
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