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November

While November can be busy in the Garden it is also time to start thinking about seeds for next year. Some seed companies recommended by Gardening Which, all with good to excellent seed quality, were:

• Chiltern Seeds: online and mail order – an enthusiasts choice, good perennials
• Plants of Distinction: online and mail order – unusual types of tomatoes and other tender vegetables such as peppers and aubergines
• Marshalls: online and mail order – good for vegetables
• Johnsons: online and in some shops, good value all rounder
• Thompson & Morgan: online, mail order and garden centres(restricted range) – reliable with a very wide range

If you have access to the internet then www.theseedsite.co.uk is a quirky site dedicated to seeds, harvesting, germination, seed identification, really everything you didn’t want to know about seeds.

Something that might be different to do in November is to increase your stock of plants through root cuttings. Papaver orientale, Eryngium (Sea Holly), Acanthus, Phlox and Verbascum are all easy to propagate this way and cultivars such as the Papaver ‘Patty’s Plum’ come true.

Expose the roots and remove one or two depending on the size of the plant and how many cuttings are wanted. Look for pieces around pencil thickness. Cut each root into pieces 2-4” long with a straight cut at the top and a slanting cut at the bottom. Insert into a pot of multi-purpose compost, the right way up, with the straight cut level with the top of the compost. Water well, label and cover with a good layer of grit. Keep in a sheltered place or cold frame until the spring. When leaves appear, check the roots have grown and then pot on individually until large enough to plant out or share with friends.

If the roots are very thin, which can happen with Phlox , then cut to 4-5” long and place lengthways on the top of a tray of compost and proceed as above.

About this time of year look out for Arum italicum ‘Marmoratum’ coming into leaf, this plant has handsome, heavily marbled leaves which look good all winter. It is attractive later with snowdrops and hellebores. Ruscus aculeatus (Butchers Broom) is a useful small evergreen shrub, good for shade, cuts well for the house, and can be covered in red berries this time of year. Get the Hermaphrodite form to ensure a good crop of berries.

CAF