This is the NOVEMBER installment of Horticulture Week's month-by-month guide to essential maintenance and management tasks for parks, gardens and grounds maintenance staff.
Office
- Order seeds
- Plan winter decorations for the house and events
- Organise staff Christmas party
- Stock up on de-icer and grit
- Prepare for any in-house servicing of machinery by ordering main spare parts such as air filters
General
- Clear autumn debris as it arises
- Start winter digging
- Clean pots and trays
- Insulate outdoor taps, store hoses and drain down irrigation systems
Trees, shrubs and hedges
- Inspect for wind damage and check ties and stakes
- Clear snow off conifers
- Start winter pruning where it needs doing
- Renovate deciduous hedges
- Protect newly planted and tender trees and shrubs
- Plant deciduous bare-root stock
- Plant roses
Beds and borders
- Tidy beds and borders, cutting down old growth
- Cut back ornamental grasses
- Continue lifting and dividing herbaceous perennials
- Take root cuttings
- Finish planting spring bedding
Wall plants
- Tie in long shoots
- Complete planting
Bulbs
- Check all stored bulbs, corms and tubers regularly
- Plant tulips
- Protect tender bulbs such as nerines with mulch
Containers
- Move indoors if necessary and insulate large pots
- Finish planting with spring bedding and bulbs
Greenhouses and conservatories
- Check for panes loosened by gales
- Prune vines
- Ventilate when possible
- Sow cyclamen
Water features
- Remove old leaves and thin out oxygenating plants
- Overhaul pumping equipment
- Drain pipes for the winter months
*Jobs should only be undertaken when ground and weather conditions are suitable and will vary according to location and may vary significantly from year to year. And remember that while the year nicely divides into 12 months, activities often overlap.
