Top 5 Items in the Oakleigh Barrow this November

Thoughts and musings

Top 5 Items in the Oakleigh Barrow this November

Carys Field | November 9, 2016 | 0 Comments

 

The cold weather has just begun, but there is still plenty you can be doing in your garden to create a beautiful space, even through winter, and to prepare your garden for the colder months ahead.

 

Here are Oakleigh Manor Horticultural Service’s top 5 items in our Wheelbarrow this month:

1. Leaves

Leaf collection can be an exhausting and repetitive job each Autumn, however we have a solution to save yourself some time and effort; we recommend not clearing all of the leaves. You must be wondering why, since leaf fall can make the garden untidy and pathways slippery. A thin layer of leaves can be left throughout the borders, and a thicker layer at the back, to naturally decompose and ultimately provide nutrients to feed next years plants. Wildlife can also use the thick layer of leaves at the back of the borders for shelter, nesting and food.

 

2. Fleece Protection…

… Not just for you, but for your garden too! Fleece jackets or covers protect plants, shrubs and trees throughout winter from frost burn and cold damaging winds. Kent has just experienced its first frost of the season! Although it was only a light frost we will be protecting our plants from now on.

 

3. Spring Bulbs

Now is the time to plant your spring Tulip bulbs if you haven’t already done so. This year we used the Gee-Tee Bulb Company for our spring bulbs, who stock more than five hundred different flower bulb varieties. The teams are planting the last few this week in the gardens we maintain. The favourite Tulip this year amongst our clients was Spring Green, which can create a striking display when paired with the Ronaldo Tulip.

 

4. Secateurs & Loppers

In November you can begin pruning hedges, shrubs and deciduous trees, whilst they are in their dormant period. Perennials can be cut back, and lift and divided if necessary….

 

5. Plants

It is time to start thinking about your garden over winter. Does it lack colour and interest during these months? Then add plants that will inject colour and texture, and reinvigorate your garden. Some plants we recommend are Pansies, Violas, Cyclamen, Carex grasses and Rosemary. Winter pots and hanging baskets are an effective way of adding bursts of colour around the garden

 

 

Look out for our monthly Barrow updates on our website blog and Facebook page to see what you should be doing in your garden!