Whatever you did not manage to do in October, there's always November, weather permitting. With shortening days and often poor weather guaranteed to drive the gardener indoors, it is time to start concentrating on next year from the shed or the kitchen.

This is the month to order and plant all your spring bulbs for a fantastic display. Tulips and narcissi for pots should all be planted up now and if the weather does allow it is not too late to be planting bulbs outside as well.

Lawn
Try and keep working on the lawn if at all possible, aerating is a great task to carry out through this month. If you can cut the lawn then go ahead.

Roses
November is a good month to be getting started on the roses. You can prune all the climbing roses after they have finished flowering and any shrub roses or hybrid T's can be done as well. When you have finished be sure to fork up around the base of the plant and give a good mulch of compost or well rotted manure.

Bare root roses
It is also a good month to order and plant bare root roses. One tip when planting is to shake the plant up and down a few times when you have filled around it with soil before firming it in. This allows the soil to get into the air holes.

Shrubs and trees
Shrubs and trees of any description may be planted now as well. Whether in pots or bare root. Be aware that however damp the soil it is very important to water the plants in after planting.

Herbaceous
Herbaceous perennials may be divided in November and replanted straight away.

Apples
November is the month to pick all the remaining apples. Store them in a cool but frost free place and keep only unblemished fruit. Any bruised apples or pears can be juiced and the juice frozen. Try and pick up most of the windfalls and compost the ones that have gone too far. Try and rake up apple leaves to prevent the spread of scab. Likewise with roses, if you pick up the leaves you will reduce your black spot problem considerably. Composting the leaves of both is fine.