Are you looking for inspiration on what to do in your garden in November? Then you have come to the right place. Paraic is sharing his top tips for looking after your garden during the turn of weather and telling you how best to prepare for the months to come.

Lawn Care

• Treat your lawn to our lawn care “Steps to Success” programme:

Sow and Grow

• Get your children or grandchildren together and plant a dwarf family Apple Tree in a large pot.  This is a simple garden project that will delight the entire family this November.  Next, under plant the tree with delicious strawberries. The beauty of this project is that you can all look forward to eating two different varieties of apples next summer. You will also enjoy succulent red strawberries from early June onward. What a treat!
• Would you like to use fresh, homegrown herbs in your kitchen this Christmas? Yes? Well this is possible if you plant them in your garden in November. Seasonal favourites including Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, Italian Parsley and Rosemary can all be planted now. Plant them into a window box or patio pot to produce some fresh pickings of kitchen herbs ideal for the festive season. All of the aforementioned herbs are winter hardy and thus will grow during the winter and spring seasons. Remember, herbs need be trimmed and picked regularly to encourage new growth.

Garden Care:

• It is important at this time of year to remove any algae or moss from patios, pathways, walls or tiles. Moss can be slippy and hazardous. We recommend removing it by applying a treatment of PAC to all hard surface areas and driveways. PAC kills all unwanted green moss quickly and effectively.
• Now is a great time to prepare for early spring planting. Clean out your polytunnel and greenhouse of old plants and remove and store all fruit indoors in a cool, dry location. Remove old and dying foliage and stems and place them in the compost heap. Wash the glass or polythene with an easy clean treatment. This will clean old moss, algae, pests and diseases from your greenhouse or tunnel.
• Look after your garden wildlife this winter. Remember, winter is coming and garden songbirds need to build up fat reserves to help them survive the colder winter months. November is the ideal time to start feeding wild birds in your garden with high protein peanuts and high protein sunflower seeds.

Garden Colour

• One of the most enjoyable projects to complete with your family in your garden in November is to plant spring colour. All you need is a couple of plastic pots, compost and a variety of spring flowering bulbs. Children will love the colourful dwarf daffodils Rip Van Winkle, the scented Narcissus Pipit or the vibrant and colourful Red Riding Hood tulips. Simply pot them up into the plastic pots, leave them outside in the garden and watch them flower in the early spring.
• Plant a tree for a special occasion. What better way to mark a family celebration, graduation or special occasion than to plant a garden tree that will be remembered for years to come. The November plant of the month is the West Himalayan Birch which is an ideal, medium sized garden tree to mark any special occasion. At Horkans we can help you select the right garden tree for that special occasion. We even have trees that will flower each year on a specific date to help you mark that memory for ever.
• Add some winter cheer to your garden. Winter flowering shrubs including Autumn Flowering Cherries, Mahonia Charity, Viburnum Eve Price, Christmas Roses and Witch Hazel can all be planted this month. They will add some much needed colour to your garden during the winter and spring months.

Join me on Newstalk with Pat Kenny on Wednesday 7th and the 21st November (after 11.30am) for our biweekly gardening review.

Interested in learning more about gardening? Just follow along with our “Learn to Garden” blog here.

Do you have questions about your garden? If so, just contact your local store where one of our helpful and knowledgeable staff will be happy to help and answer any questions you may have.