Autumn notes: November

November highlights from my French garden

The first ten days of November are sunny and unseasonably mild, so much so that at times I find it too warm to work in the garden. Trees hold on to their green foliage and some roses still have blooms and new shoots.

A few more plants need moving. The Akebia Quinata Alba I planted in a pot has never bloomed and is clearly struggling, so I move it into the ground and trail it along the fence - time will tell if my vision of a romantic cascade of vanilla-scented flowers will become reality.

The raised bed around our well is infested with weeds, so I pull them all out, and apply a good layer of compost. For some reason clematis don't like my garden, so I dig up clematis Fond Memories and move it here, with some daffodil and primroses. I cover the rest of the bed with cardboard, and mulch everything with wood chips. In spring I plan to add some perennials, and next autumn more daffodils - one step at a time.

The first frost finally arrives mid-month, dressing seed heads and leaves with tiny sparkling diamonds.

I plant all the spring bulbs in containers, in layers - tulips at the bottom, then narcissi and hyacinths, muscari, and crocus on top. If all goes well, I should get a succession of blooms from February to April, to brighten up the space opposite our glass sliding doors.

I also plant some tulips in a spare raised bed in the veggie patch, for the sole purpose of cutting them and having fresh flowers in the house, and maybe creating some still life images with them.

I treat myself to another David Austin rose, Princess Alexandra of Kent, and I plant it close to the sliding doors, thinking of the wonderful scent that will greet us every time we walk out into the garden.

In the second half of November we finally get the cold days I longed for, together with misty mornings, more frost, and beautiful sunsets.

A couple of storms with gale-force winds arrive, and one day we wake up to some damage: the trellis supporting the honeysuckle snapped and needs to be replaced with a sturdier structure, and the tin roof of one of the outbuildings got blown off, frame and all - two more jobs added to our long list of renovations.

Luckily none of the trees are affected, and the polytunnel keeps standing.

The leaves finally change colour; the ornamental cherry trees display gorgeous shades of orange and red, and the gingko and birch trees have bright yellow mantles.

The liquidambar is stunning, and so are the maple tree and amelanchier.

We plant two more amelanchiers in the hedge, a hazel tree, and a peach tree in the orchard.

The views from the living room changes to warm russets and greys, and in my mind I can see what the garden will look like at maturity, in its glorious autumn colours.

The wind keeps blowing strong, and strips most of the leaves, leaving bare branches and beautiful carpets of leaves.

I put out food for the birds, start mulching flower beds to protect plants and improve the soil, and use hazel branches to make supports for perennials and bulbs.

The plan is to wind solar fairy lights around these structures, so that their sparkling light will add some magic and enchantment to the garden in the barren winter months.

That’s it for November - time to focus on the last month of the year, and winter solstice and Yule celebrations.

I’m leaving you with a link to my latest video - click on the photo below to watch. Enjoy :)