“November days are clear and bright; Each noon burns up the morning’s chill.” It’s surprisingly hard to find a complimentary quote about November. And yet, I think it’s one of the year’s loveliest months. The cold, crisp air is a delight, and the searing blue of a sunny day in November is beyond compare. Best of all, there’s still time to savour the last bursts of delight, like the beautiful rose in this post’s cover picture, before things begin to shut down for Winter. Welcome to November in our garden.
What’s flowering this November?
I’ve said it before and I will die on this hill. Dahlias are some of the BEST value flowers ever. Our gorgeous pale pink Penhill Watermelon dahlia started flowering back in August and I’m still cutting blooms for the house in November. How amazing is that? I grew her from a £5.00 tuber a couple of years ago. Value for money or what? I love the red dahlia too but she’s nowhere near as prolific or showy as the pink one.
The blue Canterbury bells are flowering again in the shady bed at the back of the garden and very pretty they look. I keep deadheading and they keep flowering, they’re such a reliable perennial. And the lovely mottled pink Hydrangea by the front door is a welcome splash of colour to come home to as well.
Our edible flowers are still doing well: the blue borage in the fruit bed is a fabulous source of nectar for the bees at this time of year. And the gorgeous sunburst of a self-seeded yellow calendula in our greenhouse is so pretty I haven’t the heart to rip it out yet.
Amazingly for November, one of the geraniums in a front of house pot has some new buds. Whether they’ll actually flower remains to be seen, but they’re a lovely splash of bright pink. As are all the blooms on one of our salvias next to the conservatory. Such a pretty perennial, don’t you think? And another very reliable plant family too. As long as I mulch all our salvias’ roots well over Winter, they come back year on year.
Technically, berries and rosehips are fruits rather than flowers, I suppose. But they come from flowers, so I’m including them in this section of the November in our garden post. My blog, my rules. I tend to prune rosehips to encourage more flowers to bloom, but the ones I can’t reach I’m happy to leave for the birds to feast on.
What’s fruiting this November?
November in our garden isn’t a great month for fruit. We’ve got a plethora of fungi growing everywhere, including a lot of these puffballs. I split one earlier this year and it was pure white inside with no gills, so I *think* that means it’s probably edible. But I’m not a fungi guru so I’m not going to risk it in an omelette. They’ve ripened into spore puffing stage now anyway. A gentle tap releases thousands of tiny spores in a cloud of smoke, it’s great fun to poke! And much to my surprise, one of our raspberry canes has started fruiting. Only a handful (literally) of raspberries but a lovely treat to swipe as I go past.
Indoor garden jobs for November
As you can see, I’ve cut down the tomato plants and chilli plants (bar one small chilli plant and a few self-seeded edible flowers). Just the canes and halos to take out and then I can put the shelving racks back in, ready for seed sowing in January / February. And, rather than compost over a kilo of green tomatoes, I made green tomato and chilli chutney with a recipe I adapted from Pinterest. I’m so chuffed because I’ve never made chutney before and it is DELICIOUS. Never mind ice cream, I’d happily sit and eat all my chutney with a spoon. So no-one will be getting any for Christmas this time around.
Not really an indoor gardening job as such but we’ll have start bringing in our three pelargoniums at night as soon as the frosts become a regular occurrence. They’re tender plants and won’t survive Winter if left outside. But at least having them indoors means they’ll be on hand to make some yummy herbals teas – rose and orange, both are lovely.
Outdoor garden jobs for November
Our potato plants aren’t looking too happy. We had some frosts at the beginning of the month and I think they’ve done for the foliage. Never having grown potatoes before, I don’t know if the crop in the earth will be OK or not. Or whether I should have cloched them (covered with a polythene tunnel) before the first frost. Time will tell, I suppose. But I’m very pleased to see a couple of our sprouting broccoli appear to be recovering from being decimated by the birds in September. Fingers crossed…
This time last year I wrote about how to get the most natural effect with planting Spring bulbs and that’s what I’ve done with 50 new narcissi bulbs in our orchard. And I used my long handled bulb planter* again. Yes, it was an expensive purchase, but it’s saved my back for the last couple of years too. A must for any gardener, especially with Black Friday coming up 🙂 For the remaining 150 allium and iris bulbs, I can use a trowel and my dibber* (that pointed thing on the left) to plant them around our new wildlife pond. But the 100 tulips bulbs I’m going to put into pots all around the garden this year. Mainly because when they go over, I can hide the pots behind our summerhouse. After deadheading, you need to leave the foliage in situ until it goes an unattractive brown. This is so it can continue soaking up the sunshine to feed the bulbs for the following year’s displays.
Now that the grass cutting season is nearly over, one of Alan’s jobs is gathering up all the fallen leaves and stuffing them into biodegradable leaf sacks*. We’ve put them in a corner, out of the way, and this time next year they should have disintegrated into some lovely leaf mould which is a brilliant – and free – soil conditioner. Although we’ll still leave a few leaf piles in corners of the orchard, for the hedgehogs to have somewhere to hibernate safely.
Following last year’s success with some bags of Strulch* I’ve ordered five more bags, ready for when I clear and feed our flower and vegetable beds. After working so hard over the summer, most of the nutrients in the soil will be pretty much depleted now. So digging in some pungent chicken manure pellets before Winter will give any new seeds or plants next year a really good head start. The Strulch will also help to mask the frightful pong, act as a good weed deterrent, and offer some much needed insulation over Winter.
And of course, November in our garden sees yet more deadheading, pruning, weeding, and tying in. This year I’ve got some (previously gifted) Natural Jute Garden Twine from Rope Source* to try as well. It seems nice and strong, but one trick I think they’ve missed is adding an integral cutter blade to the lid. Like my old faithful green tin on the left, which makes life much easier as you only have one thing to carry around with you.
Wildlife
As you may recall from last month’s garden update, back in August we had to lift and re-turf large patches of our lawn due to the cockchafer grub infestation. Sadly, the birds are still going after the horrid little white crane fly larvae and our parts of our lawn are looking very patchy. I was feeling quite sad about this until my lovely farmer friend pointed out I had no need to be. The birds are clearing the thatch, giving the lawn some much needed aeration, and the grass will grow back better next year because of this. And she’s absolutely right, of course. Now I feel much happier and very grateful to Nature for lending a helping hand!
As far as our smaller two ponds are concerned, the frogs are still very happily croaking away and aren’t showing any signs of hibernation as yet. While I was clearing the greenhouse I disturbed one little frog underneath an upended trug. So I popped him back on the edge of the pond and he hopped in happily. Fun fact: frogs may be small but they’ve got a kick worthy of any kangaroo…
And our new wildlife pond continues to take shape. Alan’s bought a few more water and marginal plants to help oxygenate the water. And we’ve moved our sundial over from the patio, where it never looked right.
As you may just be able to see, we finally have some fish as well, much to Flora’s delight. Nineteen bought from a local garden centre and one re-homed from a neighbour. It’s such a lovely feature to sit and watch from both inside and outside the house. The cats love drinking from the edge, as do the birds (although obviously not at the same time).
Flora’s garden
No picture this month as to be honest, there’s not much to see. I’ve cut back everything that’s gone over and cleared up a lot of weeds. And managed to disturb a couple of frogs who were hiding under some foliage at the edge of the pond, so I had to stop. Tip: frogs may be amphibians but they do need to spend time out of water too, so make sure you leave some weeds or plants nearby so they can shelter safely.
November in our garden
And that concludes November in our garden. Can you believe we’re nearly at the end of 2020? What a wild year it’s been. I’m truly grateful to be able to spend time in my happy place, no matter what the weather throws at us. I hope you’ve enjoyed this latest horticultural update and that you’ll come back again in December, when I’ll be putting the garden to bed. And reflecting further on the importance of gardening and spending time outside, now more so than perhaps ever before.
Are you glad we’re nearly at the end of 2020? Have you been able to get outside much this month? What have been your outdoor highlights this November?
* This post features affiliate links but all opinions are my own (see my disclaimer).
Your garden is amazing all year round! I love Dahlias and am considering getting a few in the spring 💖
Oh, Jenni, thank you so much, that’s so kind – and yes, do get some dahlias, you won’t regret it!
What an interesting read! Looks like you’ve done an amazing job on making this a year round garden. We only have a balcony to take care of, but that’s plenty of work in itself – seriously impressed with how much effort you’ve put in! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Oh thank you so much, that’s so kind of you! Yes, it is a lot of hard work but we think it’s worth it – you can’t beat the thrill of seeing something grow that you’ve raised from a seed or tuber!
Your garden looks amazing! I love the look of the Dahlias especially, they’re so beautiful. How amazing that your Raspberry plant is producing too. Great post xx
Hannah | https://luxuryblush.co.uk/
Thank you, Hannah – yes, the dahlias are stars this year, I need to grow more in 2021, haha! xx
Oh wow! You have the most beautiful flowers and plants growing in your garden. When I have my own home I can’t wait to get into gardening!
Thank you, Kelly, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Your garden is like the secret garden all year round! Wow!
Rosie
Awh, Rosie, what a lovely thing to say! x
Beautiful garden and pond. I love looking at those flowers too. So beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Fadima, I’m so pleased you enjoyed it 🙂
Lovely post, as always Lisa! Raspberry vines! I honestly had no idea you could even grow raspberries in your garden for some reason? I love raspberries so I’d love to attempt to grow them! Definitely a nice treat whilst working in the garden 🙂 The pond looks brilliant! xxx
Thank you, Jenny! Yes, we have a few raspberry plants and lots of suckers that I’m always having to rip out, haha. WHEN you visit, you’ll be able to try a few berries if you come in summer 🙂 xxx
Your garden is looking nice and colourful even in November. You have a very beautiful garden, it is great you have a beautiful space to enjoy! I hope you have a lovely November.
Thank you for sharing Lisa.
Lauren
Thank you, Lauren, it does indeed, we are very lucky 🙂 And the same to you x
Love your garden updates, you have a beautiful outdoor space xx
http://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/
Thank you, Della, and yes, we do 🙂 x
Those dahlias are such a vibrant, beautiful colour! Thank you for sharing your latest gardening developments 🙂
They are stunning, aren’t they? Such amazing flowers.
Hi Lisa. Wow, you really are very green-fingered, aren’t you? I think we’ll have a look for some Dahlias next time we buy some plants. One thing that I’ve never understood with covering-up plants during Winter is that they wouldn’t have such protection in the wild and yet seem to survive OK. Is it because the aim is more than mere survival? You want plants that do better than they would in the wild?
Hi Richie, well, yes and no, I think we’re also very lucky, haha. As regards covering up for Winter, it depends on the plant and where you are. If you’re trying to grow plants that wouldn’t normally be grown outdoors in Winter then yes, you need to protect them. But others, like bulbs, would overwinter happily in Nature anyway so they don’t need protection. Hope that makes sense!
The flowers that are growing in your garden are beautiful Lisa! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thank you, Lucy, that’s very kind x
Lovely pictures, Lisa ❤✨
Thank you 🙂
How amazing. I love your garden, especially the tiger (and the flowers, obviously). My current yard doesn’t have a lot of options for planting flowers, but we recently bought some forested land that we will one far of day build a house on. I’m hoping in the mean time to start filling random corners with flowers to go wild in the intervening years.
Thank you – and how exciting to have some land to build your own home. I think filling the corners with wildflowers is a wonderful idea, perfect for your plot!
Oh my goodness, your garden is so beautiful still!! I pretty much stopped all gardening once we hit middle of September!
I love the idea of having a pond but I’d constantly be screaming and running away from the frogs 🙈
Thank you, Lisa, that’s so kind – and actually the frogs are really cute, some newbies are no bigger than my thumbnail!
The yellow calendula is so beautiful! I’d hate to rip it out as well – don’t blame you for keeping it for now haha x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I know, I’ll wait until it dies off, it’s got a reprieve!
Dahlias are beautiful and long-lasting flowers. I love that yours are still blooming! The pink of the geraniums is also eye-catching.
Your pond is beautiful! I love finally getting a long view of it; it is quite big and the pebble edging is so nice! I would love to have a little pond like that one day, maybe with fish. Also, love that you see the up side to the birds attacking your lawn. 🙂
I used to think dahlias were granny flowers but I’m a total convert (or maybe turning into a granny myself…) And yes, it’s taken a while but we are SO pleased with our pond now 🙂
You sure are making me wish I had the space for a garden of any sort. We’ve got a tiny slab of concrete in our backyard because we live in a townhome, but this is just gorgeous. I felt relaxed just looking at all the photos!
That’s a lovely thing to say, thank you so much – maybe you could try some pots in your back yard? They can do really well for smaller gardens 🙂
I love how colourful your garden is, even in November. Fingers crossed your potatoes turn out well.
Thank you, Kelly, keeping everything crossed!
Another lovely post from your garden! Your photos are beautiful and you still have so many flowers given the time of year. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Jodie, yes, we are very lucky!
Your garden looks absolutely incredible all year! I think mine looks more like Flora’s at the minute, either brown or bare for the most part. The pink dahlia is gorgeous!! The frogs in our garden live in the water feature, I’m always nervous Hugo will find one when out, he brought one in the house as a pup (alive, it lived to tell the tale) and left me slightly traumatised x
Sophie
Thank you so much, Sophie, that’s so kind of you 🙂 TBH I’m quite surprised at how much is still flowering, I think it’s because it’s been so mild – so far. Glad to hear you have frogs in your garden too – let’s hope Hugo doesn’t bring you any more as a gift! x
wow!! your garden looks amazing!! i cant keep a single plant alive!! 🙁 lol made my day to see such beautiful flowers. cant believe is so colorful at this time of the year!!!
Thank you so much, that’s such a lovely thing to say! 🙂
Great garden update! Love the flowers and the frogs in the pond are so cool! Your garden is so good!
Thank you – we are very lucky with our garden 🙂
I love your garden especially your wildlife pond! & it’s amazing you still have so many flowers!
Thank you so much – yes, I think it’s because it’s been quite mild so far 🙂
I love gardening but don’t have a garden so I try to collect indoor plants as much as I can. I’m currently taking care of a poinsettia, an orchid and different types of cactuses. I absolutely love your garden and will be looking forward to more posts and tips about plants an flowers.
I have to confess my indoor plant game is not strong so I admire you for keeping so many indoor babies alive! Thank you – I hope you enjoy any future garden updates.
Wow your garden is so stunning, I loved reading this blog post. I live in the city and I have a balcony but sometimes I wish I had a nice garden. Amazing read 🙂
Thank you very much, Victoria. I used to live in a city too, with just a window box, so I feel very lucky to have our garden now!
Oh wow! Your garden and flowers look absolutely amazing. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much, that’s so kind.
It’s stunning! I absolutely love the tiger. You’re blessed to have this nice place, and the air there must be so clean, right? I’ve been in Vietnam for a while now and miss the European greenery a lot.
Enjoy your lovely garden!
Thank you – the tiger is a junk shop find that my husband couldn’t resist! And yes, we are very lucky to have such a wonderful outside space, I couldn’t go back to city living now 🙂
Your garden is truly beautiful! I wouldn’t mind spending my whole free time there! Great job x
xoxo Olivia | http://www.oliviaandbeauty.com/
Thank you, Olivia, that’s very kind!
I love how passionate you are about gardening Lisa and it really shows!
Your garden is so beautiful and I love all the colours ☺️
I really wish I had a garden so I could do things like this!
Love Lozza x
Thank you, Lozza, that’s very kind of you – I hope you’ll have a garden in the near future too x
I love your garden updates, you have so many beautiful flowers all year round! The Dahlia’s are just beautiful, aren’t they? I love the pop of colour that autumn/winter flowers bring, definitely brightens up the more dreary days! We’ve just planted out some perennials, but they aren’t doing much just yet so fingers crossed they do!
Thanks for sharing!
Aimsy xoxo
https://www.aimsysantics.co.uk
Thank you, Aimsy, we are very lucky! Now’s a really good time to plant perennials out as the soil is still warm and moist (horrid word) so they can get their roots established before winter 🙂
I can’t believe it’s been a month since October in your garden. I love November as well. The pond is looking amazing already, it’s really beautiful Lisa. I am sure you will enjoy it every month x
I know, where on earth does time go?! Thank you, we’re loving it so much x
Wow your garden looks fabulous even in november,
keep up the great job. Love the little lake..
Thank you so much 🙂
Gorgeous!
I cut back some of the dahlias I have in the garden and the red ones are still going, while the pink was over. Also the yellow one is still in bloom and both whites are now cut back. I bought all from the same shop, so I imagine it’s the same type of dahlia. It’s interesting to see that your pink ones are more long lasting than the red one.
The borage is gorgeous! I will have to plant some next year. I still have edible pansies, but it’s nice to have a mix of edible flowers.
Yay, a fellow dahlia fan, that’s great to hear 🙂 And yes, do try some borage but be warned, it’s a prolific self-seeder, you’ll never need to grow it again after the first year!
I love seeing your garden still full of life, especially since mine is nothing but a sad bare patch now. As for the potatoes, they are pretty dang hardy. The plants may die back from the frost but give them time and they will bounce back. I know this from experience. You may end up with smaller potatoes because of it, but the frost rarely full out kills the plants until you get multiple heavy frosts in quick succession. Covering them at night and on the colder days will help them bounce back.
Thank you, Sarah, we’ve been lucky with the weather, it’s been relatively mild, apart from a few frosts. And that’s so good to hear about the potatoes, thank you. I’ll get some fleece in for when we are really into the frosts every night – fingers crossed!
Thanks for sharing, what been going in your garden this month, I just think it’s general tiding up for me at the moment, cutting back dead plants and getting up leaves 🙂
Oh I’m doing plenty of that as well, it’s just not as photo-worthy, haha!
Hello Lisa! I enjoyed reading your November garden. I’ll put a note on planting Dahlias next year, I love flowers! As for my garden, we cleared the summer plants last month and I started planting several flowers, lavender, and herbs. Though the seeds are just sprouting, and the chilly air here in Cyprus started a few weeks only. As for the crops, only the aubergine is blossoming and I did get some harvest. Then for the herbs, I have rosemary, basil, parsley, oregano, and thyme.
Hi Vinn, you have the herb garden of my dreams! I tried growing aubergine last year but it wasn’t that successful although we did enjoy some cucamelons this year instead. And yes, do give dahlias a go, you honestly won’t regret it 🙂