As I write this, late as ever (sorry Ed), we\u2019ve been enjoying a remarkably calm and dry spell of weather which has allowed normal gardening to carry on\u2014so there\u2019s no excuse to be behind on all the autumnal jobs that need doing.
\nOf course dry weather, with clear skies at night, does mean that temperatures overnight plummet necessitating an early deployment of the greenhouse heater. Initially this is set to a 7\u00b0C minimum, so that the late cuttings I\u2019ve taken, and the recently repotted tender plants, do not suffer a check in growth which could allow rot to set in. The minimum temperature can be lowered to a \u2018frostguard\u2019 setting during the winter proper so that plants in the greenhouse just \u2018tick-over\u2019 but are practically dormant.
\nDeciduous trees and shrubs have either shed, or are in the process of shedding, their leaves. In a good year this will be accompanied by a blaze of colour as the breakdown of vital, energy capturing, green chlorophyll leads to leaves revealing their underlying hues of red, orange and yellow.
\nIt requires quite a specific set of circumstances to achieve optimal autumn colour. Firstly; the summer has to have been good enough to have allowed the leaves to make a plentiful amount of carbohydrate. Secondly; the drop in overnight temperatures must be severe enough to start the withdrawal of chlorophyll but also gentle enough so that the leaves remain on the trees for a while longer. If there are autumn gales, immediately after a frosty period, then the potential autumn colour gets ripped off the branches before it has a chance to be admired. There\u2019s not really a lot you can do about that!
\nFor guaranteed \u2018fireworks\u2019 in the spring, November is the month for planting tulip bulbs. The reason for planting them relatively late, as mentioned last month (and every year), is to limit their chances of being infected by the pathogen which leads to \u2018tulip fire\u2019. This late in the season it may be possible to find \u2018bargain bulbs\u2019 in the garden centres. These will generally still be sound, as long as they\u2019ve been stored in a relatively airy and stable atmosphere, but it becomes even more important to check that they are firm and rot free before parting with your cash. Of course tulips will be fine although they may have started sprouting in their packs. This isn\u2019t a problem as long as you are careful not to break off their tiny \u2018noses\u2019 when you plant them.
\nLast year I planted up hundreds of bulbs in containers for a big display at the front of my house. As always I planted layers of different bulbs for a succession of interest and then topped the pots with primroses, double daisies, violas and good old trailing ivy. I tidied them up after flowering and moved them \u2018out of sight\u2019 to rest over the summer. They have survived so well, with the trailing ivy growing impressively long, that I shall just wheel them out again for this winter \/ spring.
\nI\u2019ll \u2018top-up\u2019 the bedding plant layer, where the violas have exhausted themselves and the daisies have given up the ghost but, apart from a prophylactic dousing with \u2018Provado\u2019 (vine weevils will become a real problem in pots otherwise), that\u2019s about it. I kept them fed and watered last season, while in growth, so the bulbs should be fine to perform again although, unlike brand new bulbs, their flowering potential is not guaranteed. For risk free displays you must use fresh bulbs each year as they have been produced with one aim in life; to flower their socks off.
\nEssential jobs for now include moving less than hardy, potted, plants under cover. Any plants that you bring in should be spruced up. Remove dead or damaged leaves and stems, cutting cleanly with a knife or sharp secateurs. Don\u2019t do any major \u2018chopping back\u2019 as the plants are winding down, in preparation for their winter torpor, so inflicting major surgery on them now could be disastrous. Keep them almost dry for the winter because that way they are more resistant to low temperatures. It\u2019s winter wet which is the real killer, especially in the relatively mild, but damp, south-west.
\nYou can start planting bare-root plants this month although, in tune with the slowness of the season, there\u2019s no rush with this. Do it when the weather conditions are favourable and you\u2019re in the mood. To make a proper job of planting takes time, especially if tree stakes, rabbit protection and mulching provisions are involved. Traditional herbaceous perennials can also be dug up, divided and replanted now. They are slightly more time sensitive because they cope better if tackled before the really cold weather sets in. If you miss this \u2018window of opportunity\u2019 then you\u2019ll get another chance to divide them in early spring.
\nThe arrival of proper overnight frosts is the signal that most \u2018fiddling\u2019 maintenance jobs can cease and you can concentrate on all the \u2018hardcore\u2019 winter stuff. Before that happens, and whenever it is dry but not frosty, you should continue cutting the lawn but with your mower set higher than in the summer.\u00a0 The grass won\u2019t be growing much but the whole point of a lawn is to act as a good, green, foil to the surrounding plants and you\u2019ll notice the contrast more markedly as the borders gently fade into muted tones of brown.
\nTo keep the lawn looking green at this time of year will also involve a fair amount of raking of fallen leaves. Light deposits can be \u2018hoovered\u2019 up with the lawnmower (assuming it\u2019s the collecting sort!) but otherwise regular raking with a wide, plastic tined, lawn rake keeps you and the lawn nice and fit. After all that exertion you can reward yourself, and your neighbours, with that autumnal treat\u2014a lovely slow burning, languidly smoking, leaf-scented bonfire \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As I write this, late as ever (sorry Ed), we\u2019ve been enjoying a remarkably calm and dry spell of weather which has allowed normal gardening to carry on\u2014so there\u2019s no excuse to be behind on all the autumnal jobs that need doing. Of course dry weather, with clear skies at night, does mean that temperatures […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,18],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-2502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-articles","category-gardening","tag-russell-jordan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2502"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2502\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.marshwoodlife.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}