Clear and compost fallen leaves from the lawn – you can leave them on the borders as long as they are not covering evergreens such as heathers, as the worms will pull them down into the soil over the winter and by spring they will be gone!

Evergreen leaves like holly or laurel are something else and will not easily decompose – remove these from the borders. The deciduous leaves can be put into large compost bags with a few holes in – half fill a bag and tie the top then stack somewhere out of the way and use in the borders the following autumn.

November is a good month to look back at how your garden was over the summer and to perhaps decide you would like to change some aspects of it. We are not talking necessarily about a complete garden makeover but even the best gardens need reworking as the years go on.

Clean and oil tools ready for Spring
Perhaps a border is getting too congested, the winter garden has no redeeming features, or the garden looks stunning in spring and then fizzles out becoming boring for the rest of the year – all these can be rectified.

Prune blackcurrants now removing two or three of the oldest branches down to the base. You can take cuttings really easily from blackcurrant bushes by cutting some healthy 25cm long shoots that have formed this year (make a slanted cut at the bottom so you know which way up they go) and simply sticking them in the ground – it really is that easy.

If shrubs such as Cotinus (smoke bush) have become too large they can be cut back now by a third, providing the weather is still mild. This will produce a more compact shrub next year. Cotinus grown for their foliage only can be cut down to the ground in early spring, thus producing large spectacular leaves.

When the mowing has come to a halt later this month, book your mower in to be serviced – this way you will beat the spring rush. Now is also a good time to clean and oil tools and send off secateurs to be sorted out if they are in a bit of a state. As I have mentioned before, I sent my Felcos off to a company in Leicester and they came back like new! I must get round to doing it again soon – although it may cost around £20, it is well worth it.