There's just enough time to plant tulips and lilies, but please keep off the soil
Well now, no one would bat an eyelid if you closed the door on the garden today, and didn't open it again until the snowdrops started poking their heads up next year. But then you'd be missing one of the best times to be outside. I'm serious. The late-autumn light (when the sun shines, that is) is like liquid gold, as it glances off berry and bark; the air is clean and cool; and the branches are busy with birds foraging earnestly in the shortened hours of daylight. Gardening in November clears the muggy brain, boosts the mood and instils a nice feeling of virtue in the bosom. There is plenty to do now to give you a head start on next spring.
FLOWER GARDEN
Plants with stately skeletons - teasel, artichoke, phlomis and sedum among others - can be left standing to provide ghostly punctuation marks in the garden, as well as seedheads for the birds. Clear away the dying and dead foliage from everything else if it is not serving a useful purpose. Leave ornamental grasses and evergreen perennials (such as penstemon and osteospermum) intact until spring, when you can cut them back if they are too leggy.
November is a good month for moving and splitting perennials, as long as your soil is not cold, damp, heavy clay. Large clumps can be dug up and pulled apart with brute force, or with a pair of garden forks, or by a slice from a sharp spade. Discard any woody or suspect-looking bits, divide into pieces so that there are one to three healthy growing points per plant, and trim the foliage back to a few centimetres from the base. Replant, first mixing some homemade compost (if you have some) and blood-fish-and-bone (available from the garden centre) into the planting hole. While you're tidying up, look out for infant self-seeded plants, and move them if they are in the wrong place.
There is still time to plant tulips and lilies, and indeed, it's worth chancing your arm with most bulbs, especially those that are being sold off cheaply now. Look for ones that are firm, plump and blemish-free. Follow the instructions on the packet regarding planting depth (the bigger the bulb, the deeper it goes). Remember that large-flowered daffodils have large, unsightly leaves that hang around after the bulbs have finished blooming, so position them at the back of the border, or grow them in pots.
Tidy up all the fallen leaves underneath the bushes, to prevent fungal diseases overwintering. Prune out any damaged or unhealthy-looking stems. If your rose bushes are tall, and you're in a breezy area, it's a good idea to cut back all the stems by about half to prevent wind-rock. By-the-book fanatics strip the remaining leaves off the stems so that they don't form a reservoir for disease. I never bother, but I'm not a committed rosarian.
Rake leaves off the lawn, as they can smother it if left lying. If the grass is dry, and needs a trim, give it a final cut. Older lawns may have built up a layer of thatch - dead roots and other debris, at ground level - which can be removed by "scarifying": working vigorously over the surface with a spring-tine rake. Excellent exercise for the tummy muscles. It's getting a little late for this activity, though, so don't do it if the ground is wet. And now, rather than spring, is a good time to get the mower serviced.
Fallen autumn leaves are wonderfully useful things, so please don't even consider putting them in the rubbish. At the very least, throw them in to the compost bin. But if you have loads of leaves, make leaf mould, a lovely crumbly, dark-brown material, which can be spread as a mulch, mixed into potting compost, or added to soil where you want to grow woodland plants. Simply collect up the leaves from deciduous trees (not evergreens) and pack them into a wire mesh cage, or put them into large plastic sacks and punch lots of holes into the sides. If the leaves are dry, water them well. Then forget about them for two years. They will decompose faster if you spread them on the lawn first, and run the mower over them. The combination of shredded leaves and grass clippings rots more quickly.
VEGETABLE GARDEN
Clear away the remains of the season's crops and compost them. Where bean and pea pods have grown into inedible giants, and are still untouched by frost, do harvest them and use the contents for stews or soups. Heavy brassicas such as brussels sprouts, kale and purple-sprouting broccoli may need some support now if they are not to be knocked down by winter winds. Either earth up the stems, or rig up a framework with bamboos or other supports.
Garlic and broad beans can be planted now. Be sure to keep garlic plants free from weeds all year round; otherwise they don't form proper heads.
The soil is the most important part of any garden: treat it well and it will reward you with healthy plants and bountiful crops. Winter time can be stressful, when its surface is pounded by rain and its particles are filled to bursting with water. Try not to leave the soil bare: instead, blanket it in a mulch of leafmould (see above), autumn leaves, straw or even the spent potting compost from your summer containers. This helps to preserve its structure, and prevents the nutrients from being washed away. Some gardeners mulch with manure or garden compost in winter, but this can lead to unnecessary leaching of nutrients, and is not recommended for die-hard organic practitioners.
Try not to walk on the soil ever, but especially in winter when it is swollen with water and easily compacted. Fluffy, well-structured soil is a more congenial medium for plants to push their roots through, and for earthworms and other underground creatures to move around in. The wise gardener treasures his soil as much as the plants that grow in it.
