With Christmas just around the corner, November is a time synonymous with falling leaves and plummeting temperatures it is at this point of the year that wildlife begins to need a helping hand.

Put an emphasis on keeping your pride, and joy tidy, regular cleans ups of fallen leaves are very much in order at this time of year particularly from your lawn beds and ponds,

If you do have a pond, it is particularly important to clean fallen leaves, and other debris from the water as a build-up of organic matter can harm your aquatic life.

Planting tulips in November is a good move If you want your garden to burst into life at the first hint of spring and let’s face it who doesn’t?

When planting Tulips check the bulbs for any size of damage or rot should you see either of these problems discard immediately.

Be sure to plant the bulbs at least twice their width apart and at suitable depth typically the equivalent of three bulbs in height.

Birds

Encouraging wild birds back into your garden is an excellent way to help local wildlife to survive the winter this along with the bonus of watching birds feed.

Fat balls are a great place to start try to use wire mesh cages as opposed to the plastic string ball style plastic is a hot topic at the moment due to the fact it will not compose for years this along with the fact that some birds can get their tounges caught in plastic meshing.

Try to vary the foods you leave out for birds this will affect the types of birds you attract into the garden as like us some birds prefer different foods, sunflower heads, mixed berries and insect cakes will all improve the diversity of birds visiting your garden.

Bonfires:

Should you be considering a bonfire for fireworks night make sure to check for Hedgehogs Toads Frogs and other wildlife.

If you have a compost heap try to keep the turning of your heap to a minimum throughout the Winter months as Compost heaps tend to be a refuge for many creatures including Toads, Frogs, and Hedgehogs.

September marks the transition of seasons between Summer and Autumn, September can be a busy month if you have been growing vegetables as you will be eagerly harvesting your crops. Other activities will include planting next years spring flowering bulbs including Hyacinth and Crocus.

It is possible to plant new perennials in September as the soil will still be warm and the rainfall in September starts to increase.

September is also a great time to plant new trees and shrubs due to the previously mentioned higher rainfall planting at this time will give them a kickstart next Spring

In the greenhouse:

Take advantage of the fact there is slightly less to do in the garden turning your attention to the greenhouse at this time of year will enable you to get ahead of the curve come next season.

Keeping the greenhouse in good working order can help to keep pests at bay. Start by emptying old pots leftover compost and rotting organic material is the perfect breeding ground for many common garden pests, move onto the greenhouse in general clean shelves and even the floor.

Removing any shading IE Polyethylene mesh or netting or greenhouse blinds, this will allow any plants stored in the greenhouse over the autumn and winter to gain the maximum possible light.

As we move into the Autumn and Winter, other good tips include closing the doors and vents towards the end of the day as this will keep the heat in the greenhouse well into the night.

Make sure to only water in the mornings as watering in the afternoon can create damp overnight conditions which in turn can encourage pests.

Looking after your lawn:

September is an ideal opportunity to lay a new lawn from either turf or seed the autumn is an excellent time to establish a new lawn.

This month also represents the perfect time to practice some much needed TLC on your existing lawn; start by raising the mower blades as growth rates are now slowing.

Other activities include repairing dead patches of lawn and aerating your lawn this can be done with a garden fork this will improve drainage and lessen the risk or waterlogging over the winter months. Aerating also serves to promote new growth next season.

This month is also the perfect time to feed your lawn with a specialist autumn feed which is generally higher in potassium and lower in nitrogen.

July can be an indifferent month in the UK, at the time of writing we are experiencing a period of unprecedented hot weather, the lack of rain and effects of the sun can have a detrimental impact on your garden.

Watering plants and grass is an obvious must when the weather gets hot, however, avoid watering your plants or lawn in the daytime as the sun will quickly evaporate the water making daytime watering a fruitless and ultimately pointless pursuit.

Many people believe watering in the evening is the best way to go in fact this too can have a detrimental effect on your garden evening watering will allow moisture to cling to the grass and plants overnight which in turn creates the perfect conditions to promote fungal growth.

So when should I water?

When it comes to watering early morning is the way to go between the hours of 5:00 am and 10:00 am, this will ensure you avoid the reckless pursuit of daytime watering, the grass will get the full benefit before the sun reaches its peak. Furthermore, the sun will evaporate the moisture on the lawn well before nightfall ensuring there is no opportunity for fungal growth to set in.

How often should I water my lawn?

This is dependent on a couple of variables such as soil type, clay soils retain moisture, therefore, watering once or twice a week should be adequate when dealing with sandy soils aim for three times a week.

How long should I water for?

Again this is dependent on how dry the soil is, however, it is better to water deeply than to water for 10 minutes every day this is because deep watering promotes deep root growth which will ultimately lead to a healthier lawn.

An excellent way to check if water has penetrated the lawn to the desired depth (roughly six inches is to lift a sod of turf every 15 minutes throughout the first watering)

Once you have the desired water penetration, it is best practice to water your lawn for the same period every time, be thorough and set a timer this way your lawn will receive the correct amount of water on each occasion.

Use a good quality pulsating sprinkler as they provide more accurate water distribution than the oscillating variety.

What about plants?

Apply the same principles to border plants; again it is better to water infrequently and deeply than to water regularly this action will promote a healthy root system for your shrubs and plants.

Like lawns watering plants and shrubs between 5:00 am and 10:00 am is the way to go.

Well established shrubs and plants will naturally need less water as their root systems are well established.

May is a pivotal month in the garden, now is the time to get busy as the work undertaken in May will determine how your garden looks throughout the summer months. Lawns, in particular, will benefit from your attention throughout May, other activities include the sowing of several types of seed ranging from Primroses through to Radish and Cauliflower. Dealing with Weeds at the first possible opportunity should also be high on your to-do list.

Lawns

With grass at its most active now is the time to carry out weed treatments, weeds should be dealt with at the earliest possible opportunity before they have a chance to set in you can also apply lawn fertiliser in May.

Only use fertilisers and weed treatments if your lawn is well established.

Mow your lawn regularly throughout May with the blades set at maximum height.

Remove the lawns most common weeds these include couch weed and bindweed among others, the trick here is to tease these weeds out of the lawn and cut their roots.

Flowers

Provided the weather has been kind, and the risk of frost has passed it is time to introduce summer bedding plants to the garden try to do this in late May to be certain that the threat of frost has elapsed. If you are unsure, leave this until next month.

If you would like to do so removing the tip of new shoots of some variety of flowers such as fuchsias can help the plant to branch out.

Start to check your flowers for the dreaded gardener’s nemesis greenfly as nipping this persistent garden pest in the bud at the earliest opportunity can prevent an infestation.

Removing dead heads from certain flowers including pansies can help to encourage additional growth.

For more May Gardening Tips take a look at the RHS website alternatively take a look at our garden maintenance page to discover how our team can help you to achieve your perfect garden.