November Gardening News Letter

IT’S another beautiful day and I am just wondering how much longer we can enjoy this Indian summer? Rain is forecast for later this week. This can only be a good thing with the number of plantings I am doing at the moment!
By the way, the bulbs are delayed. My supplier is having problems with the tulips. Don?t worry – as soon as they arrive I shall be sending teams out to
plant them. We still have plenty of time.
I am keeping very busy and have some really lovely jobs on.
Whether a coincidence or not, I was contacted by a developer last week who builds only ?very prestigious? homes in South Bucks,Hertfordshire and Derbyshire. I have a meeting with him tomorrow to discuss designing his show homes and possibly for
individual buyers. This could be very exciting and might even lead to me entering the New Homes Garden Awards next year.
One of my clients, Clive and Caroline, sent me some great photos of their recently completed garden and I have sent these off to the developer who built their house in the hope that he might like to use my services on future developments. I?ll keep you
posted.
It?s been great fun these last few weekends to actually get down to re-designing the borders in my own garden. I was so inspired at a recent seminar that I have decided to experiment with a few
varieties I am not so familiar with. I have planted the giant Eupatorium purpureum ?Atropurpurem?. This reaches over 2m and has wonderful purple stems and pink flowers. Persicaria polymorpha is another beast, very vigorous with lovely white flowers. I have mixed these with Verbena bonariensis (still the designer?s favourite plant) and black and pale blue Irises. These
are flanked with Molina caerulea ?Transparent? which has to be my favourite grass. It is so delicate and reaches a height of nearly 2m. In a few weeks? time it will gradually change colour to the
most wonderful oaty/orange mix and give so much for weeks to come.
NOTE: We have been experiencing technical difficulties with my website. If anyone has tried to reach me via the ?Contact? page, do please try again, or give me a call. We think it has been out of order since May!!

SEASONAL RECIPE
Roast Pumpkin Soup
I medium pumpkin Olive Oil
1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 5 cloves of garlic
Salt and Black Pepper Curry powder
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the pips. Chop into chunks, skin and all. Put into a large roasting tin and drizzle the oil over them. Crush the garlic cloves, leaving the skin on and add to the pan. I usually mix it all up with my hands at this stage.
Bake in the over for about 40 minutes (Gas 5/Elec. 190), turning a
couple of times. When they are tender, scrape the flesh from the skin and squeeze out the flesh from the garlic. Add this and the curry powder to the stock and then liquidise until you have a soft
smooth consistency.
If you can?t get pumpkin, you could always use another form of squash.

SEASONAL TIPS
We are doing a lot of splitting of perennials this month. The beauty is you get ?free? plants to infill any gaps and the parent plant will benefit. It is also a good time to move plants ? they may have become overcrowded or you may feel like a change.
This is also a good month for taking hardwood cuttings of shrubs. By now (November) the soft summer growth has become woodier.

Evergreens
Take 20 ?30cm cuttings from stems that are about the size of a pencil. Cut just below a leaf node at an angle. Remove any leaves. Root into pots filled with multi-purpose compost and grit and place in a cold frame or cold greenhouse. Sink two thirds of
the cutting into the compost and leave a third above.

Deciduous
These can be put into the open ground. Dig a v-shaped trench, with one side of it vertical. Put some grit in the bottom of the trench to help with drainage. Line the cuttings along the vertical side and infill with soil. With any luck you will have new shrubs
for next autumn.

Despite the mild weather we do need to think about what isaround the corner.
?Don?t forget the birds. Fill up feeders and make sure
there is fresh water for them.
?Insulate terracotta pots with bubble wrap and buy some ?feet?. This really does help against frosts. Frozen compost can kill.
?If you have planted or potted up plants such as Astelia or Phormium this year I would recommend you protect them against frost. Stuff straw in and around the leaves and cover in fleece. This does not look attractive, but it is worthwhile particularly if they are only recently planted.
Fleece is available at most garden centres and I buy the straw from the pet shop.
?If you have bay trees, it is a good idea to insulate the trunks with foam lagging ? available from DIY stores.
?Lag outdoor taps, or turn off at the mains.
?Clear leaves from paths, drains etc., and save to use as a mulch.

VEGETABLE & FRUIT GARDEN
You can sow broad beans this month ? do check the seed packets for the right varieties ?Aquadulce? is one I have used in the past.
Protect cauliflower heads from frost, by tying in their leaves across them and root crops by spreading straw around the stems.
Plant autumn onion sets and garlic provided the ground is not too wet.

Prune Redcurrants and gooseberries. Cut back this year?s growth by half and any shoots that are in the centre of the bush.
Prune blackcurrants. Take anything out that is diseased or weak.
Remove anything that is looking darker in colour ? these are shoots that are likely to be older.
Rhubarb can be split. Plant the cuttings into rich soil and well-rotted compost. Cover the crowns with straw and an up-turned pot to force an earlier crop.
If you are on clay soil ? dig over any bare patches in the garden and in the vegetable patch ? the frost helps break it down.

GREENHOUSE
Check the heating system. If you want to protect seedlings without using heat, attach bubble wrap to the glass to conserve as much heat as possible.
Pot up lettuces sown in September, or plant them in growbags.
Stop watering succulents and only water other plants sparingly, avoiding wetting the leaves.
Ventilate on sunny days and close it up by 1.00pm to conserve the heat.

INTERESTING BITS
If you have problems with squirrels digging up your bulbs there is a product called STOPPIT. These are made from renewable willow in a hoop design and act as a barrier. Available from www.peppermintgarden.com / 020 8399 5777 and cost