November gardening tips

Welcome to the Paterson & Hill monthly garden tips.  This month we have three main recommendations

Plant your tulips – Planting in November rather than early autumn when the soil is cooler can help avoid tulips being affected by tulip fire/blight, which is more likely to spread in warmer soils.  My old favourite is the late double flowering Tulip Angelique.  For something a little more unusual Tulip Rasta Parrot with it's mix of green, red, yellow, orange and purple hues it sure to make an impression.

Hydrangeas – Now is a great time to pick hydrangeas whilst they are still holding their colour to use in winter dried flower arrangements.

Rose Hips – I like to leave some on for winter interest and the rest can be used to make pies, jam, jelly, wine, marmalade and tea.  Not only are the hips very useful in cooking but they are a brilliant source of Vitamin C and also have many other health benefits.  The extract is believed to ease joint inflammation and prevent joint damage.