By Lottie Newitt, blogger, TV presenter and owner of the Alfresco Style at Hatton Country World
Our star plant of the month is Viburnum tinus.
A fantastic Garden Performer that is very low maintenance. Pretty deep pink buds that open into clusters of tiny white flowers that start to develop and bloom at the end of October/early November which will then continually flower all the way through the winter and into early spring. Some flower heads will produce ornamental glossy blue/black berries that provide further garden interest as well as a winter food for birds and small mammals.
This wonderful evergreen shrub is a good plant to add to a border or have planted on its own in a patio container. Viburnum tinus also makes for a great hedging plant.
Here are a few other plants to help cheer up your November garden;
· Heuchera- a lovely perennial foliage plant that thrives in shade and part sunny conditions. There are so many different colours of Heuchera to choose from that you could create a foliage tapestry in your garden. From burnt purples, to marmalade shades and silvery greens.
· Calluna Heathers are super vibrant autumn-mid winter flowering plants that can add a little height & textural depth to your garden pots, borders & especially hanging baskets.
· Nandina varieties are really starting to look ‘hot’ from November onwards with their fiery red-orange evergreen foliage burning up and becoming more vibrant as the colder month’s drawer in. They revert back to a fresh green foliage in spring.
Wildlife tip of the Month:
Look out for hedgehogs at this time of year especially around Bonfire night- always check that there are no hedgehogs hiding in built-up bonfires before you light them.
Create a little corner especially for them to make a home safely in your garden through the winter, invest in a little hedgehog shelter and plant a few evergreen grasses and small shrubs around it to provide camouflage and cover. Put out Hedgehog niblets early evening for them to munch on when they potter about in the night- we have these available to buy in our Garden Boutique made especially for them.
It’s not too late to plant your spring bulbs.
You can carry on planting all varieties of spring flowering bulbs right through into December (on days where there is no frost) in time for them to settle into the ground or pots for a wonderful spring display. If you are in a windy spot go for short-stemmed varieties such as Narcissus Jet Fire or Tulip Red Riding Hood to prevent steam breakages.
If you need any further advice on ideas for late autumn or seasonal plant care please feel free to come in and ask Lottie or one of the Garden Boutique Team, we’d be happy to help and we have everything you need to make your autumn garden a success.
