Callicarpa Profusion

Winter Colour

Whilst the beauty of summer flowers have long since finished there should still be lots of interest in your garden. Look out for the bright berries of the Pyracantha and Cotoneaster, the beautiful purple berries of Callicarpa or the colourful evergreen foliage of the many different hollies. Remember that only the female hollies carry the berries and you do need a male somewhere in the near vicinity to pollinate them.

The many different coloured barks of the Dogwoods (Cornus) will also brighten up the winter. Look out for C. alba ‘sibirica’ with brilliant red stems and C. sanquinea ‘Winter Beauty’. This is a more compact variety with orange-red shoots giving a fireside effect. To get the best out of these shrubs they should be hard pruned in spring every other year.  

One of the most colourful trees for autumn is the Liquidamber with its brilliant red and purple leaf colours. 

Planting 

This is an ideal time to move trees and shrubs into new positions and to plant new ones so that they become established before the winter really sets in. When planting, avoid planting too deeply. With trees and shrubs, plant about 10mm (1/2 in) deeper than the pot surface and, with bare root trees, plant to the depth to which they have previously been planted. Firm them in well using your heel. This will ensure that there are no air pockets around the roots which can lead to rot and the plant moving around in the wind.

 Leaves & Lawns

 In November, a good job is the clearing up of leaves and composting of any suitable material that has come from the borders, such as when cutting back the last of the herbaceous plants. If the weather is mild there may still be the need to cut the grass but this should be done with the blades raised. Once the final cut has been completed it is worth considering having your lawnmower and grass cutting equipment serviced before the next spring.

 Tidy borders

 Any perennials past their best can be cut right down, clearing away remains and adding them to the compost heap.

 Plant spring bulbs

 Continue to plant spring-flowering bulbs, especially tulips, making sure you place them at the right depth. (Usually 2.5 times the depth of the bulb). If border space isn't quite prepared, plant them in large pots instead. These bulbs can be planted out to fill gaps later.

 Autumn Bedding

Before the weather gets too bad, fill gaps in borders with wallflowers and other autumn bedding plants for a great blaze of spring colour. Space them so that they will grow into one another and, for extra impact, plant tulips with flowers in a contrasting colour between them.

 Bonfires

 It is also the season for bonfires and getting rid of all the years rubbish. Do take care when having a bonfire and make sure that there are no hedgehogs or other animals buried inside about to take their winter hibernation.

 Leaves need not be burnt, why not make compost out of them. This is excellent to use when planting and is very easy to make. We sell compost bins just for this purpose.

 Fruit Trees

 November provides the first opportunity after leaf fall to carry out winter pruning. This will often involve spur pruning of apples and pears. Bush fruit can also be pruned at the same time, for example blackcurrants, redcurrants and gooseberries.

 Winter Containers

 By now summer containers are past their best and it's time to decide what to put in them for autumn and winter. If you want something that's going to look good right through until spring arrives, plants to choose, include winter flowering heathers, which come in white and shades of pink and mauve, plants with berries such as skimmia and holly, ornamental cabbages and evergreens for their foliage.

Winter pansies, cyclamen and primulas also look pretty and can be mixed in with other more permanent plants and don’t forget to add some bulbs.

Points to remember for winter containers

•Layer early spring bulbs such as dwarf daffodils and tulips and crocuses under the top planting to come up in February.

•You don't need to feed plants in winter containers because you don’t want too much growth, but remember to use good compost when you plant.

•Water pots during dry spells to stop them drying out but avoid overwatering.

•The only maintenance you will need to do is check containers regularly for any disease or pest problems and remove any dead heads.