How to Get Your Garden Ready for Winter
Living North's gardening expert Ross Pearson shares his advice on what needs to be done in the garden this month
The leaves that blazed so brilliantly a fortnight ago are now slippery brown deathtraps. The mornings are dark enough to make you question your life choices, and the evenings seem to arrive just as you’ve found the motivation to do anything useful. And yet, November has its own special atmosphere. There’s a stillness to it. A garden stripped back to essentials, bare bones revealed in the low light. Trees stand like sculptures; their skeletons sketched against pewter skies. Borders are quieter, more monochrome, but in that emptiness comes a kind of relief: you can finally see the structure, the space and the honest shape of things without the distraction of summer frills.
The soundtrack is different too. No buzzing of bees, no lawnmowers droning in the distance. Instead: the swish of a rake through leaves, the metallic clatter of a spade hitting stony soil, the hollow thrum of a neighbour’s bonfire crackling somewhere down the street. And, of course, the background whine of leaf blowers, the modern soundtrack to autumn weekends. This is the time when we humans do strange things to comfort ourselves. We light the first log burner of the season and sit in smug satisfaction as if we’ve invented fire. We suddenly feel compelled to buy candles in bulk and roast root vegetables in ways our summer selves would find baffling. We make plans that involve thermoses of soup, only to abandon them at the first hint of drizzle.
What’s left of the garden has to be appreciated through a more artistic lens: moss greening on the shed roof, the last roses clinging on with improbable stubbornness, seed heads etched in frost, a robin following you around with more entitlement than your cat. It’s not a pretty month, but it’s atmospheric. And if I’m completely honest, I almost prefer the lack of responsibility to keep the garden in tip top condition and the absence of guilt for things looking scruffy. Nobody expects the garden to look good in November. Visitors won’t judge your messy borders or collapsed dahlias because everyone’s garden looks roughly the same; damp, slightly bedraggled, and teetering on the edge of hibernation. I like nothing more than pottering aimlessly in the shed, fiddling with jobs that may or may not matter, and calling it progress.
So, yes, November is not glorious, but that is probably its strength. The pressure has gone. The garden is quiet. And the gardener can put their woolly-socked feet up, sharpen some tools, and maybe, just maybe, enjoy being outdoors before the biting winter properly sets in.
Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’
(Red-barked Dogwood)
If November needs a plant mascot, I’m nominating Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’. This is the shrub equivalent of a high-vis jacket: impossible to ignore, wonderfully striking, and boy does it stand out in an otherwise drab border. In summer it’s a perfectly respectable leafy shrub, but once the leaves fall, the stems turn the most outrageous shade of scarlet. Against a backdrop of grey skies and soggy soil, those fiery stems are enough to make you stop in your tracks. They glow in the low winter sun, they shine through fog and they even manage to look stylish next to the wheelie bin.
Plant: Dogwoods are not fussy. Give them sun or partial shade, decent soil, and a bit of elbow room, and they’ll thrive. They look spectacular planted in groups forming a small thicket of flaming stems that transform the bleakest corner into something remarkable.
Care: The trick is in the pruning. Cut back hard in spring (and I mean brutally) to encourage fresh, brightly coloured stems. Left to grow unchecked, they’ll go green and sulky. Cornus is a classic example of needing to be cruel to be kind in the garden.
Tidy Up the Borders With Care
It’s tempting to go on a cutting-back spree, leaving borders looking neat and bare. Resist. Many perennials are best left standing: seed heads catch the frost beautifully, stems provide shelter for insects, and birds appreciate the odd snack. By all means remove the floppier messes, but otherwise aim for ‘artfully untidy’. Plus, it’s just easier to leave things be… don’t make work for yourself if you don’t have to!
Insulate Tender Plants
Banana plants, tree ferns, and other tender show-offs need a little protection. Wrap trunks in fleece or hessian, mulch around the base, and consider sacrificing an old duvet if you must. It may look eccentric, but it’s less embarrassing than explaining in spring why your £150 plant now resembles a damp celery stick.
Clean and Sharpen Tools
It may not feel thrilling, but spending an afternoon scrubbing, oiling, and sharpening secateurs is one of the most satisfying tasks. Clean tools cut better, last longer, and make you feel like a consummate professional, even if you spend the rest of the week tripping over hosepipes. A few passes over a whetstone or diamond sharpener will sort out most of your tools. If any have been particularly neglected, you may need to bring out a file first to even out any chips in the blade. Finish off with a liberal coating of 3-in-1 or camellia oil to stave off the rust in the damper months.
Plant Bare-root Roses and Shrubs
November is the beginning of bare-root season and I highly recommend you take advantage of it as they are cheaper, easier, and better for establishing strong root systems. Roses, fruit bushes and hedging plants can all go in now; just dig a hole, pop it in and backfill with soil. Keep an eye on planting depths and when in doubt just ask the internet. Planting sticks in mud today for a glorious show later is a strategic investment worth doing.
Check Gutters and Water Butts
Leaves will be trying their best to clog every available drain and pipe. Scoop them out now, before the whole system turns into a murky soup. Empty, clean, and reposition water butts ready to collect the inevitable deluges. A glamorous task? No. But your future self will thank you in February.
Sow Winter Salads
With a little cover (cold frame, cloche, or even an old window propped up on bricks), you can keep harvesting salad leaves right through winter. Mizuna, rocket and lamb’s lettuce are all surprisingly cheerful when everything else has gone quiet. And frankly, it’s nice to have something green on your plate that isn’t kale.
Dig Over Empty Beds (if you have to)
Now, just which side of the ‘no-dig’ fence you stand on is up to you (and largely your budget). If you have access to plenty of mulch then throw it on your beds and let nature do the rest. If not, don’t feel bad. Turning the soil exposes pests to the frost, breaks down the larger stubborn clumps whilst making yourself feel like you have really achieved something. Work slowly, do what you can when you can and be meticulous about getting the perennial weed roots out. Add compost or manure as you go, and your future crops will reward you. But if I’m being honest, ‘no-dig’ is the way to go.
Protect Brassicas
If the pigeons haven’t already found your cabbages, they’re plotting. Net them properly, peg the edges down, and make sure no gaps remain. Pigeons are the Houdinis of the bird world and will wriggle through anything less than Fort Knox.
Store Carrots and Beetroot
If you still have roots in the ground, lift them before the worst frosts. Store in boxes of sand or dry compost in a cool shed. Avoid plastic bags or they will turn your hard-won harvest into slimy regret.
Build Windbreaks
November winds can be vicious, so protect delicate crops with simple barriers: hurdles, mesh, even a strategically placed pallet. It doesn’t have to look pretty; it just has to work. It’s also a good opportunity to rethink which vegetables are best planted where and at what time of year to avoid any weather mishaps in the future.
Final Thoughts
If I could bottle up November and visit it whenever I like, I think I’d be there more often than not. It’s quieter, slower, and occasionally bleak, but it has its charm. The colours may have dulled, but the structure emerges: bare branches, bright berries, and those flaming dogwood stems cutting through the gloom. Don’t get me wrong, I love ‘proper’ gardening, the satisfaction of sitting back and admiring your hard work at the peak of summer is what it’s all about. But I can’t deny that I love the rituals of the cosy ‘ber’ months just as much. The intoxicating smell of wood smoke from the log burner. The satisfaction of muddy boots lined up by the back door. The quiet pleasure of drinking tea outdoors when you can see your breath in the air. I’m not really built for the T-shirt and shorts months. Give me an oversized jumper and a waxed jacket and I’m a happy gardener.
So don’t think of November as a sad ending. Think of it as a cosy pause – the time to reset, recharge, and prepare. The soil is resting, the plants are retreating, and we are, ideally, slowing our pace down too. Gardening isn’t just about the flowers; it’s about the waiting, the watching, and the stubborn optimism that spring will come round again. Until then, wrap up, potter on, and accept that mud is now a permanent part of your wardrobe.
