The bleak November weather makes it difficult to say clearly what work, if any, to carry out during the week, but as usual we try to give you a few ideas on what might need doing in your garden this week. Not everything in this article may apply to your garden – but there might be something, if not this week maybe next week.)
Flower Garden: Continue planting roses, shrubs and trees while the soil is workable. Wire up weak-limbed conifers if heavy snow is forecast. Finish tidying, weeding and manuring borders, and dividing perennials, and then leave for the winter.
Kitchen Garden: Pot up rhubarb crowns left on the surface for a few weeks, and force in the greenhouse. Dig up raspberry suckers more than 20-23cm (8- 9in) away from roses, and discard or transplant. Pick off mummified fruits from apples, pears and plums to prevent disease transmission. Finish planting shallots outdoors, or in pots in the cold frame if the soil is wet and heavy. In cold gardens lift all Belgian chicory, trim roots to 15cm (6in) long and pack horizontally in boxes of moist sand.
Lawns & Hedges: If we get snow sweep heavy falls from box and other evergreen hedges.
Greenhouse: Sow geranium seeds in a heated propagator. Repot hippeastrums, water and keep in warmth to revive growth. Pinch out autumn-sown sweet peas after three pairs of leaves. Keep desert cacti quite dry, but water epiphytic species such as Christmas cacti regularly. Pot up new young hydrangeas, deutzia, broom and lilac to flower early under glass in their first season. Hard prune all passionflowers; cut out thin shoots and shorten strong growth to manageable lengths. Clear space under grape vines, untie the rods and arch downwards to induce all buds to break. If lily bulbs appear shrivelled, pack in trays of moist compost for a fortnight before planting.
Water Garden: Finish tidying the pond edge for winter. In hard weather, keep part of the pond surface ice-free for fish.
In General: Check plants in frames regularly for mildew and aphids. Turn off outside water supplies, rollup hoses and store, and insulate taps. Clear up all prunings promptly and shred or burn to avoid disease problems.
