November Amateur Gardener Tips

Moving Shrubs

 

Once plants have lost their leaves or evergreens stopped growing now is the time to dig up and move them to new locations.  Camellias will move easily now even if staking and some temporary wind protection is advisable over Winter.    For more pictures see full article.

1.  Select plant to dig up

2.  Carefully dig around roots

3.  Dig new hole

4.  Water plant

5.  Water new hole

6.  Plant carefully

7.  Tread in

8.  Water again!

9.  Put in stakes and fleece

10.  To create wind barrier

Protecting Tree Ferns

Tree Ferns will happily withstand minus 10°C and even if all the fronds turn brown the crown will still generate new fronds next Spring.  It is therefore advisable to protect the crown.  The best way is to gather the fronds upright and wrap fleece around the crown where the fronds start.   For more details see full article - How to care for Tree Ferns.

1. Protect crown, with paper, straw or fleece.

5. Wrap hessian / fleece, around the top half of the trunk.

9. A safely wrapped tree fern.

 

Protecting Gunnera

The best way to ensure that your Gunnera manicata survive the Winter is to cut the leaves off now and drape them over the main rhizome and crown.  Then cover the whole area with dead leaves, leaf mould or peat to keep the frost out.   For more details see full article - How to care for Gunnera.

4. Cut off all of the leaves

6. Use straw, dry leaves or shredded paper to cover bud

9. Stack all the leaves one on top of the other over bud

10. Creating a protective wigwam of leaves

Fleecing Banana

Removing large leylandii hedge

Collecting Lithocarpus pachyphyllus seed

Deal with leaves

If you are tired of struggling to rake up dead leaves from your lawn or driveway invest in a leaf blowing machine. These do the job in a fraction of the time and make a much neater job of it.

Check those gutters

Get the ladder out and check your gutters and down-pipes which may well be blocked with Autumn leaves.  A tedious chore but better than a flood in the house when it next rains hard.