Tulip Planting Time: Your November Garden Guide

November brings cooler mornings, falling leaves and a slower pace in the garden, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. It’s a lovely time to get outside, plant your tulips and give your garden a little attention before winter settles in.

This month’s Rose Press Garden Subscription Box is all about looking ahead, with beautiful tulip combinations ready to bring colour to your spring pots and borders.

Inside Your November Subscription Box

Every box includes our Luxury Pink & White Tulip Mix, alongside one other spring bulb combination. Your additional mix may differ between boxes, giving you a lovely surprise to unpack and plant.

These combinations make it easy to create a coordinated display. Plant each mix in its own container, repeat it through a border or group several pots together for a colourful spring corner.

Time to Plant Your Tulips

November is an ideal month to plant tulip bulbs, provided the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged. Choose a sunny spot with well-drained soil, or a container with plenty of drainage holes.

Plant bulbs pointed end up, around two to three times their height deep. For a fuller display in pots, position them closely together while leaving a little space between each bulb.

Cover with compost or soil and water after planting. Through winter, check that containers can drain freely and avoid letting them sit in water-filled saucers.

Our tip: Place your pots somewhere you’ll see them regularly in spring, such as beside your front door or along a garden path.

November Gardening Jobs

Gather Fallen Leaves

Clear leaves from lawns and paths regularly to keep grass healthy and surfaces less slippery. Collect them in a leaf mould bin or a loosely tied bag with air holes, moisten if dry and leave them to break down into a useful soil conditioner.

You can leave a few undisturbed piles beneath hedges as shelter for wildlife.

Protect Tender Plants

Keep an eye on the forecast and move tender potted plants into a suitable frost-free space. For containers staying outside, standing them on pot feet helps excess rainwater escape.

If you’re lifting dahlias after frost has blackened the foliage, let the tubers dry before storing them somewhere cool, dry and frost-free.

Give Borders a Gentle Tidy

Remove diseased foliage, but leave some healthy stems and seedheads standing. They add structure through winter and offer food and shelter for wildlife.

There’s no need to make everything perfectly tidy. A little winter texture can be beautiful.

Plant Bare-Root Roses and Shrubs

As plants enter dormancy, bare-root planting season gets underway. Plant roses, hedging and suitable shrubs when the ground is workable, avoiding frozen or waterlogged conditions.

Water them in well and add mulch around the base, keeping it clear of stems.

Look After Wildlife

Keep bird feeders clean and topped up, and provide fresh water. Check water dishes during freezing weather and leave quiet areas of the garden undisturbed.

Always check piles of garden material for wildlife before moving them.

Clean Pots and Tools

Wash empty pots, brush soil from tools and clean sharp blades before putting them away. A little care now makes everything easier when the growing season picks up again.

A Little Planting, Plenty to Look Forward To

Even a short spell outside can make a difference this month. Plant a pot of tulips, gather a few leaves or leave a border ready to shelter wildlife through winter.

Then enjoy knowing that, beneath the soil, your spring display is beginning.