In the lowlands the soil can often still be dug for a couple of weeks in November. Higher up it freezes sooner. The spade decides, not the date on the wall. Once the blade will not go in, planting for this year is over.
Jobs that still have a date
| Job | By when | If you leave it |
|---|---|---|
| Tulips | first half of November, while the soil is not frozen | Bulbs shrivel in the bag and fail to flower. |
| Garlic | should have been in during October; early November only if the soil can be dug | Do not plant into mud or frozen ground. |
| Roses | mound soil at the crown in November, do not prune | Pruning waits until March. Leaves left underneath harbour black spot. |
| Mophead hydrangea | leave the flower heads, mulch the roots | A hard cut removes next year's flowers. |
| Heavy soil | turn it on a dry day so frost breaks the clods | Wet soil smears on the spade and sets hard. |
Tulips are still worth planting
Plant tulips in October and the first half of November, once the soil has cooled. Depth is about three times the height of the bulb, nose up, in ground that does not sit wet. A September planting into warm soil rots. Stop once the ground freezes. A bulb left in a bag in the shed until spring is a surer loss than a late planting while the soil can still be dug. Daffodils have already missed their best window. Depth and voles are covered in the guide to planting spring bulbs.
Garlic only if the cloves are still in the bag
Autumn garlic belongs in the ground in October, clove tip up, 5–7 cm deep, 10 cm apart in the row and 25 cm between rows. November is for rooting. If the cloves are still in the bag in the first days of the month, and the soil can be dug, is not frozen and is not mud, plant them anyway. After that, stop. A clove pushed into ice or soupy clay rots. Spring garlic waits until March and makes a smaller bulb. The steps are in when to plant garlic.
Mound roses, and leave the hydrangea uncut
Do not prune roses in November. Draw a mound of soil or ripe compost up over the graft and pick up the leaves under the bush. Black spot overwinters on them. The cut above an outward-facing bud, around the third to fifth eye, waits until March, once hard frost has passed. Do not plant a new rose into frozen ground now. April is the safer planting month.
Do not prune a mophead hydrangea for winter. Leave the spent flower heads on the shrub. They shield the buds. Take them off in spring, together with dead wood. This hydrangea flowers on last year's stems, so a hard cut now means a year without flowers. Mulch the roots. In a cold spot, throw horticultural fleece over the shrub. Panicle hydrangeas tolerate a spring prune. Mopheads do not. Covering plants is in protecting plants from frost.
Dig only when the soil does not stick
Turn heavy clay, on a day when it does not stick to the spade, if you mean to sow it in spring. Frost will break the clods over winter. Wet soil smears, and in spring you dig a pan all over again. Do not turn sandy soil just for the sake of digging. Compost or mulch on the surface is enough. Do not sow mustard as a green manure in November. Frost burns it before it covers the ground.
What not to do in November
- Do not prune fruit trees. Apples and pears wait until late winter. Stone fruit is pruned in summer after harvest, or on a dry day in spring. A November wound stays open all winter.
- Do not give roses and hydrangeas their spring prune now. A rose needs a mound of soil. A mophead hydrangea needs its flower heads left on.
- Green tomatoes are usually finished. Once frost has blackened the plant, the fruit softens and will not ripen indoors. If a sheltered plant still carries sound fruit and frost has not touched it, pick the fruit and ripen it in a room, not in the fridge.
- Do not sow vegetables for a crop this year. Lamb's lettuce and autumn onion sets belonged in the first half of October. Whatever else still fits this month is in what to plant in November.
Frequently asked questions
Is November too late for tulips?
Not in the first half of the month, if the soil can be dug and is not frozen. Plant at about three times the bulb's height. Stop once the ground freezes. Plant daffodils now only if they are still in the bag. Their window closed in mid-October.
Can garlic still be planted in November?
Only in the first days, and only if the soil is neither frozen nor sodden. October was the main window. In November the clove should be rooting. Do not push it into frozen ground. Spring garlic waits until March.
Should a hydrangea be cut before winter?
Not a mophead. Leave the spent flowers to shield the buds, and cut dead wood in spring. A hard prune now takes next year's flowers. Mulch the roots and, in a cold garden, cover the shrub with fleece.