November often sees the garden being used for Bonfire night parties. Nets of solar powered lights over large shrubs or trees look really effective, as do lanterns hung from boughs. However, there are still jobs that can be done to maintain your garden and ensure that next year it looks even better than it has this year!

Clean your greenhouse to avoid pests and diseases

One of the chores in having a greenhouse is that it should really be cleaned every year to stop the build up of pests and diseases, and to keep the glass clean for maximum light. A dry, windy day would be ideal for this. Using a disinfectant such as Jeyes fluid, clean the benches, all the cracks and crevices which could house mealy bugs, and even wash through the gravel if you have it on your bench tops.

This is one of those jobs that hangs over you like a big black cloud, but once it’s done, it will make you feel wonderful. You may even be tempted to bore your family and friends by taking them into your clean greenhouse to look around – don’t expect the same interest from them!

When the mowing has come to a halt later this month, book your mower in to be serviced, thus beating 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.
I must get around to doing mine again soon. You can usually get them done for around £25.

Clear and compost fallen leaves from the lawn

Clear and compost fallen leaves from the lawn. You can leave them on the borders, as long as they are not covering evergreens like heathers, as the worms will pull them down into the soil over the winter and by spring they will be gone! Leaf piles also serve as great places for insects and hedehogs to shelter in during the winter months.

Evergreen leaves like holly or laurel are something else and will not easily decompose – remove these from the borders. You can put them on the lawn and run over them with the mower to help in the decomposition, or simply pop them straight in your compost. The deciduous leaves can be put into large bin bags with a few holes in – half fill a bag and tie the top, then stack somewhere out of the way and use in your borders the following autumn.