• Fruit Trees, Now is the best time to prune plum and pear trees, leave the apple trees till the new year. Remove the dead, diseased or intersecting branches, and thin out the crown, allowing the light and air to pass through, promoting strong and healthy growth for the next year.

• Bring in the light, Outdoor lighting can bring forgotten parts of the garden that are lost in darkness back into play at this time of year. Try a few small tee candles in jars, or even better, go for lanterns that can house bigger candles and stand two on each doorstep. solar lights are also great along pathways, or electrical lights set up to a plug in timer (minimising disruption to wildlife) are also good and there's some quite elegant sets on the market at this time of year.

• Pots and Containers, can bring in a touch of life and colour on the doorsteps or outdoor tables, go for plants that look nice together such as heathers, cyclamen, hellebores and variegated ivy. (Plants still available at garden centres and DIY stores.

• Warm up with Fire, if you wish to make the garden comfortable and warm and inviting to be outside, introduce a fire bowl or go a step further and dig out and set a fire pit.

• Introduce Insect Hotels, Can be purchased at garden centres or DIY stores, or make your own, cutting bamboo canes into short pieces with the hollow ends exposed, set the bamboo into an old wooden box, or simply forget the frame and time the bamboo together in a bundle, and hang them in sheltered areas

• Repair and upgrade paths and walls, any structural project worked upon now is one less for the spring when other jobs in the garden are calling.

Peter Carvello

November 2024.