Gardening jobs for November

• It’s not too late to plant spring flowering bulbs, in fact tulips are best planted in November as there is a better chance of preventing the bulbs becoming infected with the fungal disease, tulip fire. We still have a very good selection from which to make your choice.
  
  
• Any tree in the peach family including the ornamental types may well have suffered this summer from Peach Leaf Curl where a fungus attacks cells causing leaves to become distorted and are left coloured red. In autumn and before leaf drop it is important to treat the foliage with a copper based fungicide so as to prevent the fungal spores from over wintering in the buds, it is also important to pick up any fallen leaves to prevent the spores re-infecting the tree next spring.
  
  
• Turn those fallen leaves into leaf mould, which is an excellent ingredient in composts and also makes very fine mulch. Oak and beech leaves are a great bonus to the mix but beware of using horse chestnut leaves that have been attacked by the dreaded leaf miner; these should be burnt if at all possible.
  
  Leaves are very slow rotting, taking at least a year to mature into compost. The best method is to make a wire netting enclosure and keep adding as the leaves are collected. They should be well wetted. If space is limited black plastic refuse bags make good containers; these can then be stacked out of sight and forgotten for a year. Don’t forget to wet the leaves before you tie the bag and punch a few holes around the sides.
  
  
• Finish planting spring bedding plants as soon as you can now. Wallflowers, Forget-me-nots, Bellis Daisies, Winter-flowering Pansies and Sweet Williams will all benefit from the warm soil to enable them to get established before the winter. This is also a perfect time to plant trees and shrubs – there is a large range to choose from to suit either large or small gardens.
  
  
• Now is the time to clear out bird boxes and make any running repairs. Purchase fresh stocks of bird food in case of a sudden cold snap. We have a large selection of bird foods suitable for all different species. If squirrels are a problem we have a large range of squirrel proof feeders, which will deter even the most ingenious of the little creatures.
  
  
• The earlier winter digging of the vegetable plot is done the better, as this will allow the rain and frost to break down the clods of soil, making it much easier to cultivate next spring whilst improving the soil structure.