Gardening: Weekend Work

GUY FAWKES day was traditionally the start of the lifting season in the days before containerisation, when all plants were grown in the open ground. November is still a good month to plant trees and shrubs, if the weather remains open and dry.

You can plant fruit trees and bushes this month too: apples, pears, blackcurrants, gooseberries and raspberry canes.

Where fruit trees are grafted on to a rootstock, as they usually are, make sure that the join, which is fairly obvious, remains above ground.

Dig a hole about twice the size of the root ball when you are planting and spread the roots out wellso that the tree will be anchored on all sides.

If you find moss offensive, there is still time to treat lawns with a moss killer before mid-month. Lawns should not need further cutting. Clean the mower thoroughly before storing it.

Sow an early row of broad beans, using a hardy variety such as Aquadulce `Claudia'. Beans sown now should produce a crop by June. Spread netting over the row to deter birds and mice.

Check houseplants for pests such as mealy bugs, which tend to congregate in the joints between the leaf and the stem of the plants. Pick the bugs off by hand or spray with an insecticide.