November is a great month to start thinking about the year ahead and is often considered as nature's time to plant, due to moderate temperatures and rainfall. It is the perfect time as it allows plants to root and acclimatize before the onset of summer heat or the harsher temperatures of winter.
It's also a good time to plant trees before the ground gets too hard or frozen, making them the ideal choice for the Horticultural Trades Association's (HTA) Plant of the Month for November. Trees planted in the autumn will experience much less stress and will require less watering and aftercare than trees planted in spring or summer.
Trees can be positioned in wet and dry land and they can tolerate acidic, chalky, sandy and clay soils and come in all shapes and sizes. From flowering cherries and crab apples to evergreen yews and weeping willows, trees offer different leaf size, shape and colour. There are those that flower magnificently in spring and those whose leaves offer brilliant autumn colour just before leaf fall. By planting trees you can also reduce or improve your carbon footprint and generally enhance the environment
While limited space obviously rules out planting majestic oaks and beeches, there are plenty of smaller, but equally beautiful trees to choose from. Malus and Prunus, Betula and Sorbus are all favourites for the average garden.
An avid tree fan is broadcaster and horticulturist, Christine Walkden. “Trees to me add movement and grace to any garden situation, raising the eye into the third dimension, with stunning foliage, lovely flowers, great fruit and the ability to attract bird life and insects into the garden. They have a place in all gardens. Some being suitable for container growing and for small gardens whilst others will add much to the greater landscape. We should all be planting more trees.”
The Tree Council run National Tree Week which takes place between 29 November - 7 December 2014. First launched in 1975, National Tree Week is the UK's largest tree celebration annually launching the start of the winter tree planting season.
National Tree Week is a great chance for communities to do something positive for their local treescape. For more information please see http://www.treecouncil.org.uk/Take-Part/national-tree-week
Recommended RHS AGM varieties to plant include:
Amerlanchier lamarckii
Photinia fraserii 'Red Robin'
Acer freemanii 'Autumn Blaze'
Quercus palustris
Malus 'Evereste'
Sorbus vilmorinii
Nominated and agreed upon by British growers and retailers, the HTA's Plant of the Month campaign highlights the plants that are widely available and looking especially good each month.
For more information, please visit www.the-hta.org.uk/plantofthemonth.