November Gardening Tips

The colour of trees in the garden and wider countryside turns to gold, red and bronze, quite lovely on a sunny day. The ground beneath looks gold plated.

I am not fastidious about raking leaves up immediately – they will do no harm for several weeks and will provide food for worms.  Left too long, they will start to damage grass and provide slug heaven, so I will have to pick them up and make leaf mould!

Dead leaves in the pond should be removed with a rake or net, but leave some as a habitat for invertebrates.  Put the extracted leaves near the pond for a day so that any creepy-crawlies can get back into the water.

At this time of year, the fruiting bodies of fungi (toadstools) are visible.  It is worth remembering that leaves are broken down mainly by fungi, liberating nutrients.  The vast network of tiny tubes (mycelium) from which the toadstools arise is of great importance to the health of trees and shrubs.  They live in a mutually beneficial relationship with the roots, increasing surface area for the uptake of water and nutrients.  More is being discovered all the time.  Fungi mostly only colonise a plant that is already damaged or stressed.

Jobs to do

 

 

 

 

 

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