THINGS TO DO IN THE GARDEN

There is always something to do in the garden, especially in preparation for the first frosts which could be as soon as early November for households in places like Edinburgh and Bournemouth, and the beginning of December for those of us living in Devon.

Cutting back herbs - cut heavily to hang to dry or compost and note that many herbs (excluding Basil) will survive some frost but will soon slow down their production or die back for the Winter.

Collecting seeds - if you haven't already collected seeds from your favourite annual flowers and herbs, the time to do so is now - make sure they are completely dry and store in glass containers in a dark place until ready to propogate.

Frost-sensitive plants - these can be left in the ground even if they are going to die down as they serve as important sources of food and shelter for Winter-born insects and small wild animals through the Winter.

Frost protection - I use the wonderfully soft and pure wool packaging used in deliveries from my local organic farm, perfect to cut into circles and place around the stems of plants in pots, especially my collection of Roses.

Tidying the garden - it seems like a job that can never be done so enjoy it and relish the exercise in the open air, clear fallen leaves (but make sure to leave some in certain places for creatures to bed down in during the Winter).

Help a Hedgehog

November is a really good time to spot mammals gathering food and plumping themselves up with the remaining harvest to survive the colder months or to prepare for going into hibernation. Hedgehogs especially will be scurrying around trying to find food and a suitable place to hunker down for the Winter.

According to the Natural History Museum's State of Britain’s Hedgehogs Report, three quarters of all of Britain's rural Hedgehogs have been lost. Due to the increasing decline of one of our most treasured small mammals, we need to do everything we can to a) allow them access to our gardens and land, b) to protect them as best we can, c) to leave filtered water out for them together with the correct food.

As opportunistic eaters, Hedgehogs will consume food left out in your garden but do not leave out bread and milk as this causes problems for them. The best Hedgehog-friendly foods are:

• natural (if at all possible) meat-based cat or dog food - with no additives
• specially-made hedgehog food - see below
• natural (if at all possible) cat biscuits - with no additives - always leave with a bowl of water

I found what looks like a good resource for a range of specialist Hedgehog food on Ark Wildlife (no affiliation) which includes a wooden feeding station. Do your own research and make sure the food you buy is natural as most supermarket pet food brands are full of unnatural ingredients that are no good for anyone, let alone the smallest of our wild creatures.

Hedgehogs are particularly fond of wood or leaf piles to rest in and they provide some of the best habitats for wildlife. Some are made intentionally for this purpose in woods, parks and gardens. This is just the right time to find them resting in such places, so please remember to check your bonfires this firework season before lighting them.

Watch and Report a Starling Murmuration

If you are lucky enough, you may see one of the most spectacular natural events during the month of November.  Last year, I watched a Starling murmuration from Teignmouth Pier and it was totally mesmerised. So beautiful that everyone there stopped to take it in - it was spectacular.

A murmuration consists of thousands and thousands of birds flying in unison in the sky. It’s breathtaking to see a transforming mass of Starlings make the most incredible patterns in absolute unison. They become one unit - magnificently pulsating, shifting and changing in shynchronised swoops and dives.

November is the time to spot such an event as resident Starlings prepare to be joined by other migrant birds to start their long flight to sunnier climes. 

Murmurations usually occur over communal roosting sites situated across the British Isles. You can check the Starling Murmuration Location Map provided by Starlings in the UK to find out where these locations are. It may be best to do your own research using the information provided as, apparently, the most popular sighting spots can get very busy throughout the month of November.

If you do spot a murmuration (of any size), Starlings in the UK need your help to capture this data so that they can keep a track of numbers. You can fill in a form on their website to do this.

I hope you enjoy making the most of Nature through November for your good health, happiness and wellbeing, and look forward to seeing you here for the last Almanac for the year in this format on 1 December 2025.

Sue Cartwright

Spiral Leaf

Buy a book!

Books with seasonal information presented for each month of the year are available from the Spiral Leaf bookshop using the links below.



The Leaping Hare Nature Almanac by Raluca Spatacean

The Forager's Calendar: A Seasonal Guide to Nature’s Wild Harvests by John Wright

Wild Hares and Hummingbirds by Stephen Moss

The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel

The Leaping Hare by George Ewart Evans and David Thomson

Meadowland - The Private Life of an English Field by John Lewis-Stempel

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