Jobs for November
General;
Plant amaryllis in pots in gritty compost, half submerged so that the roots are in the soil but the bulb is mostly exposed to the air. The pot needs to be substantial enough to support the eventual 2 or 3ft high stout flower stem, topped by the huge trumpet blooms. They flower best when constricted so try and fit 3 in a pot if you can. They will add brilliant colour as house plants in January and February.
Fill window boxes and pots with tulip bulbs for spring colour.
Plant pansies at the front of borders for colour throughout the winter.
Mulch alpines and succulents with a 1cm layer of grit.
Plant bare-root roses when the soil is damp but not waterlogged.
Order seed and plant catalogues for browsing over the Christmas period.
Drape light horticultural fleece over borderline hardy plants and cuttings in the greenhouse on frosty nights. Remove in the morning.
Fruit & Veg;
Keep harvesting salad leaves such as cut-and-come-again lettuce, rocket, mustard and mizuna. Harvest the outer leaves to keep the plants growing.
Look out for whitefly on the underside of kale leaves. Wash off what you can then compost the worst affected leaves. Wash harvested leaves thoroughly before eating.
Plant a bare-root fruit tree. Soak the roots well, and prepare the planting area by clearing weeds and digging the soil over. Fan the roots out so they all fit comfortably into the soil in the hole, then backfill and firm in. Don't plant too deep. Shake the tree and water in well.
Begin harvesting parsnips after they have been exposed to frost.
Take hardwood cuttings of blackcurrant bushes. Cut straight stems of this year's growth and sub-divide into 6-9 inch lengths, cutting the top at an angle and the bottom straight across, so you do not put them upside down. Snip off any foliage and insert the cuttings in a slit trench in the ground, or around the edges of a pot. Ideally bury them three quarters deep. They will take at least 6 months to root and should not be disturbed for a full year, when they will be ready to pot on or plant out.
Plant garlic to make good use of cropping space in winter, and also to take advantage of the cold winter period, which helps to speed up bulb development, with bulbs maturing by early June.
Wildlife;
Don't worry if some of your garden birds seem to have disappeared - road verges and hedges are bursting with berries, while trees offer a bounty of seeds and nuts.
Be sure to check for wildlife before lighting a bonfire.
If you're doing any major pruning, stack the branches and logs in a quiet area of the garden for wildlife to shelter in over winter.
Ivy up against a wall or fence provides an ideal hibernating place for adult butterflies over the winter.
Allow teasels and sunflowers to seed to provide an instant snack for birds.
Create a rock pile for amphibians to overwinter in, ideally facing north and sited near a pond or damp site.