Mid-November

Hopefully, you have already ordered your tulip bulbs by now (lots of suppliers here) and now is the time to get them in the ground. Some might recommend waiting until after the first frost, but I am generally caught up with Christmas by the time we get to that stage, so mine are going in right now. A full guide to planning here, and also a wonderful interview with the Queen of all things tulips, Polly Nicholson here.

Other jobs for this weekend:

- I am finally getting around to planting my garlic.

- Clear foliage from around any peonies and make sure they have clear soil all around them. Mulch a bit, but make sure not to put too much compost around the crown. Peonies will sulk if you bury them too deeply and you'll spend the rest of your days writing in to Gardeners' Question Time about why your peonies aren't flowering. Spoiler alert, the answer is always that they are planted too deep. 

- Start collecting bits and pieces (dried or evergreen) for decorating wreaths or for adding to Christmas presents. They'll look lovely in a pot on a windowsill whilst we are waiting for this endless November to pass.