Your garden

Your Garden In November

The garden begins to wind down in November as deciduous plants enter dormancy. leaves are falling rapidly and wind and rain are on the increase.

Whilst most of nature is hibernating in the colder months, winter is the ideal time to get new trees into the ground. trees are best planted in the late autumn when the soil is still warm but not too dry, giving roots time to acclimatise before the harsher temperatures of winter arrives. whatever your plan to do outside in Nonmember, take time to enjoy the garden as it fades, leaving structural plants and evergreens to take centre stage.

PROTECT TENDER PLANTS

tuberous bedding begonias that have been hit casionally over winter to ensure they are dry

Tie in all the plants and secure structures an important winter job is to stake tall plants, climbers and young trees to protect against strong winds. check that existing ties are not cutting into stems of plants that have grown over the summer. Structures such as arches, pergolas and fences should also be checked and ideally treated with preservatives. If repaired now there is less potential damage in high winds.

LOOKING GOOD THIS MONTH...TREES

Why should you plant them?

the weather is turning so its time to get Trees add structure to gardens and landthose plants protected - frost can do serious scapes. As well as being used as a focal point damage to tender plants. frost tender plants in pots should be moved to the greenhouse, conservatory or porch. Exotic plants such as for the garden they also make good hedges and screens. they come in a huge number of palms or tree ferns should be wrapped up for varieties, shades and position. Whilst most the winter with frost protection material. trees are grown for there foliage or flower, some are praised for their bark and branch LIFT AND STORE CORMS AND TUBERS shapes. Some trees look fantastic in spring Lift and store plants such as dahlias and colour in the autumn. by bad weather. store in a dry, frost-free dark place ideally in a layer of sawdust. check oc- How should you plant them? while full of flower and other burst into vibrant and rot free. remove any that look suspicious Young trees should be staked diagonally. to prevent the risk of further infection. This protects them from strong winds and ensures the roots do not get damaged. Most varieties of trees will have specific planting instructions. There is a tree that will thrive in all soil types from wet soil to poor dry land and everything in between. 16

Shoppers warned to buy early for Christmas or miss out

Shoppers are being urged to buy early this year for online Christmas gifts. With only 8 weeka to go before the big day, the online retail industry is gearing up for a huge surge in demand.

It's warning that firms may struggle to cope if we leave all our festive shopping till the last minute.

In A Statement online earlier this week the industry body for online shopping said:

"We think the volumes are going to be really very excessive this year," said Andy Mulcahy from IMRG, the industry body for online retailers.

"Whilst that in itself is not a problem, getting too much of it too close to Christmas is going to be a bit of a problem," he said.

"If you can spread out your shopping and do quite a lot of it in November, maybe even a bit of it now, then that would really help."

Even before lockdown, online sales in the first months of 2020 were roughly 5% higher than last year.

No need to panic buy though!!

Since Covid-19 hit, the numbers have soared, with growth rates of around 40-50%, according to IMRG. And they've remained high ever since.

"At this point, I think we can expect an increase of at least 30% for the peak festive trading season, but if stores have to close this might push to 50%, " Mr Mulcahy thinks.

But he stressed that here's no need for shoppers to panic buy - as there's still plenty of time before the big day. 18

So how will retailers and logistics companies manage this huge potential uplift in the run up to Christmas?

Top boss at a large delivery service said online:

"It's been like Christmas for the last six months for us," said Mike Hancox, the boss of delivery firm Yodel.

It is one of the UK's biggest parcel couriers handling more than 150 million packages a year. But it had to adapt quickly in March, even partnering with taxi firms at one stage to help deliver the extra packages.

Yodel's now preparing for a period of sustained demand this autumn and winter as shoppers flock online for convenience as social distancing restrictions remain in place.

Job opportunities?

It's adding 2,500 self-employed drivers and nearly 500 staff in its sorting centres across the UK to bolter its operations.

"We think it will be the biggest online Christmas ever, by some way," Mr Hancox said. "Certainly at Yodel it will be our biggest ever year. We're planning for success and I think every other delivery carrier will be expecting the same."

He's planning on handling a million extra parcels in the busiest week.

But with rising unemployment and uncertainty over future coronavirus measures, many families may feel less able or willing to spend.

John Lewis's online Christmas shop opened back in August after a spike in searches by customers.

And it has already seen a surge in sales for some products. The company says sales of trees were up 233% at the end of last week, compared with the previous year. Christmas decorations, meanwhile, were up 156%.

Who knows how jolly this festive season will be. But one thing seems clear, it will be the most digital one yet for shopping.

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