Gardener's Diary           November

Forty Third edition - November 2004

I like November: the garden looks bare but tidy and there is usually a damp and gloomy feel to the outdoors.. The days are at their shortest and darkest too, so what on earth do I find that is nice about November? Well, I can put my feet up and be unashamedly lazy. All summer long I have been a slave to the garden: weeding, digging and pruning which was an excellent way of exercising and keeping fit during the summer months..  Have I followed my own advice to take time out and enjoy the rewards of my labour? Of course not....

But I will next year!

• Apart from a few tidying up maintenance sessions, most of the jobs in the garden are now finished until the spring.

• Have you planted up all those packs of prettily packaged bulbs that tempted you to buy them in the garden centre, or have you, like me, shoved them in a cupboard and forgotten them? Tulips can be planted out until December, but all others really should be in the ground or pots by now!  

• Sweep up leaves instead of letting them gather in soggy, slippery heaps, ready to trip up an unsuspecting pedestrian.

• If your lawn is still growing and is fairly dry, continue cutting it. I have cut my lawn on Boxing day in years gone by, just for the exercise!

• Check the food for the birds is topped up.

• Take care to keep your pets indoors and safe while those loud fireworks are still being let off.

• Plan your bedding plants and perennials for next year with a spot of armchair gardening and some seed catalogues.

Talking of seed catalogues, Thompson & Morgan have opened a Living Gifts for Christmas online catalogue, seen here: http://xmas.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en  Just think, all gifts are supplied with a greetings card and a choice of message, delivered in peak condition direct to the recipient in good time for Christmas. No boxes, no gift-wrapping, no trips to the post office.

This is my kind of Christmas shopping...

You may obtain their free New 2005 Seed Catalogue by telephoning 01473 695224 and their website address is www.thompson-morgan.com where full information is available on their product varieties and orders can be taken on-line. I have also received a press release from T & M showing off their latest two exciting plants for 2005:

• Impatiens "Jungle Gold" is the best true yellow Impatiens variety ever bred from seed. It has exceptional weather tolerance and is very free-flowering

• Banana Musa Velutina is exceptionally quick to grow, flowering in it's second year and producing bright pink blooms followed by inedible pink furry bananas in the summer!

I often hear the concerns and doubts of some older people who are thinking of building a garden pond now they have more time on their hands, so I have decided to do a mini series which will hopefully be quite useful for those hoping to plan a pond for next year.... 

The subject is a huge one, enough to fill a book, and I will obviously only scratch the surface. But hopefully it will help you decide whether to go ahead and have a garden pond, or settle for something less adventurous.

Garden Ponds - Part one - covering garden ponds and pond safety

Seems they are finally thinking about older gardeners, with this product...

EnvirOmower; Cordless electric environmentally-friendly lawn mower...
No more arm-yanking cords or power leads. You'll never need petrol or oil again with the ENVIROMOWER; an environmentally friendly, cordless battery-powered lawn mower. FREE DELIVERY in the UK.

See their website at www.enviromower.co.uk
 

http://www.sensory-garden.com

Designed to stimulate the senses and provide a haven of peace, a place to chill-out and unwind from the stress of modern living. A garden designed specifically to be "Positive About Disabled People" and raise funds for people with Multiple Sclerosis.

Take a virtual trip around the garden, through different countries, its monthly photo galleries & artwork, explore and discover the plants, birds and wildlife, water features and wind-chimes, as we endeavour to describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch of the various areas. 

Royal Botanic Gardens
Kew
Richmond
Surrey
TW9 3AB

Royal Botanic Gardens
Wakehurst Place
Ardingly
Nr Haywards Heath
West Sussex
RH17 6TN