Blog: Mild month comes to a tumultuous end with severe gales and snow
This month flattered to deceive with benign weather before going out with a bang with Storm Arwen – so which were the best plants for November? Read more about my garden in pictures for November.
Best plants for November – Storm Arwen
This was the worst storm to hit NE England in a long time. We always fear any bad weather coming from the north or east – we get the full force of it. Luckily, the garden didn’t have any significant damage, but I did prepare – only a few pots were blown over.
As I write (Monday, November 29), the gales have gone, but we’ve had unexpected snow overnight, and it’s 1 °C. A thaw is forecast by the end of the day.
Ornamentals: flowers
The calm weather before the storm meant that many plants stayed in flower for much longer. Notable performers were the hydrangeas, nasturtiums, Fuchsia, Astrantia, and, of course, climbing rose Claire Austin.
Seasonal plants have started to bloom earlier. Often, we don’t see the Fatsias in flower until December, but all three of the big ones are blooming. Viburnum bodnantense x Dawn has opened too.
Unexpected flowers this month come from Campanula carpatica and Vinca major variegata. Providing lasting interest are the hips of Rosa glauca and the dried flower heads of Sedum.
Best plants for November – Ornamentals: leaves
One of the most obvious best plants for November is Cotinus (smoke bush) with its ever-changing foliage. Get your colour fix from Heuchera, changing beech foliage, hollies, Fatsias, Rhododendron Goldflimmer, Eucalyptus, grasses and Photinia Pink Crispy.
Edibles
The tender veg has done well to stretch its season into November. Tomatoes, courgettes and chillies ended up in a splendid pasta sauce. Extra chillies have been frozen, and garlic Marco has been dried for winter use.
Best plants for November: Exotics and houseplants under glass
The big exotics (elephant ears, banana, ginger), Pelargoniums, and the Mac’s Mix perennials I grew from seed have settled well in the conservatory. To cut back on heating bills, I only have one heat mat on, which I put on at the weekend. It’s thermostatically controlled and set to 10C, not my usual 15C. The idea is that the plant goes into shutdown, rather than keep in slow active growth.
In the unheated greenhouse, the only occupants are Agapanthus and tuberoses.
