By November the garden is well and truly into its dormant season. The days are short, though some of the sturdiest and most resilient short-day flowers like chrysanthemums may still be clinging on. You may also have the last of the autumn hips and berries on roses, rowans, hawthorns and blackthorns. And although these can all be pruned now, it’s best to wait for wildlife to finish off the fruits before you start.
This period of dormancy gives us gardeners licence to be bolder with our actions and to re-jig and tidy our gardens without too much fear of damaging most plants. We can dig things up, move them around and cut back most large shrubs and trees that need bringing into check a little. I would always recommend a little care with these big projects and consideration for hibernating wildlife. If you can bear to delay until the end of winter, then do so. Some fruiting trees and shrubs can be tackled now, including blackcurrants, gooseberries and mulberries, but avoid pruning any Prunus, such as cherries and plums, to reducetheriskofsilverleafdisease.