This morning, I managed to get out of bed before 8am (big hand please; it is a Saturday), cycle out to Fletcher Moss to do a Parkrun (humour me please - I’m new to this game), cycle home and make pancakes, eat said pancakes, and get the Christmas cake mixed and in the oven. It’s now baking, outside it’s raining, and I am beached on the sofa with no intention of doing anything in the garden, despite the drifts of leaves covering my half-scarified lawn.
Here’s a few tasks that you could consider undertaking, if you weren’t as lazy as me;
Trees, shrubs and flowers
Given the inclement weather this year, pretty much everyone’s roses have been afflicted by fungal black spot. Collect up all the fallen leaves under rose bushes, and put them in the municipal green waste (not on your compost heap), to prevent re-infection.
Check that all tree stakes are in good condition and secure, and plants requiring support are well tied in. Trees that have expanded in girth over the growing season may need their tree-ties loosening.
Tulip bulbs can be planted this month - about three times their own depth.
Fruit and veg
Now is a good time to plant garlic, and to net brassicas such as Brussels sprouts and kale, against peckish pigeons. Prune out fruited canes of berries such as blackberries, tayberries and loganberries by cutting them down to ground level. Check any stored apples for signs of rot; any spoiled fruit can be left out for the birds to feed on.
Autumn wildlife
Make sure piles of leaves and twigs assembled for burning on bonfire night haven’t become homes to any hibernating hedgehogs or frogs and toads; check before lighting! Leave some leaves piled in a quiet corner of the garden to provide winter shelter for these animals.
Clean out any bird boxes so that they can be used as winter roosts; this makes it more likely that birds will use them to nest in, come spring.
