We had some low temps last week, around 4-5 c with overnight frost and the North and Scotland had some snow. But the weather has now flipped. It's 15c and pouring with rain.

Still autumn in my area. Last week.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK overall has it been a warmer/colder/"regular" weather month of November so far?

Our chill down will start Friday with highs below freezing and or lows in the teens (-10C).

tj

Weather here has been kinda crazy. Just maybe two weeks ago we had days in the 80's. Then it "cooled off" to a week of high 50's to low 70's - still warm for November here. Then we suddenly had a wintry mix lol. Luckily because it has been so warm the bad weather didn't amount to much, and also mixed in was some MUCH needed rain. My annuals for the most part didn't even notice the icy rain and kept blooming the next day!

Now we're back to high 40's-mid 50's, which honestly I think is still slightly warm, but it sure makes doing leaves more comfortable. I usually (try to) finish up all my leaves over Thanksgiving weekend and there have been many times it's just cold and miserable, even with all the physical exertion. Hopefully the higher temps will last the week, at least in the high 40's.

I'm not sure how much snow and cold we'll ever get. Seems the winters of my childhood are gone. Seems now the new norm is fairly mild weather punctuated by a few severe storms (rain, ice, snow, wind - pick your poison lol).

tj, that is COLD! Brrr....

:)

Dee

It's been in the 40s-50s here for a couple weeks now, which is nice November weather. Some rain, which is also desperately needed. The big cool-down is forecasted for Thanksgiving into the weekend, with highs in the 20s-30s. Which is fine with me. I'm ready for a good ol' fashioned winter where it gets cold and stays cold, not like Dee posted = "Seems now the new norm is fairly mild weather punctuated by a few severe storms (rain, ice, snow, wind - pick your poison lol)" Consistently cold is not only better for the plants (and likely animals), it's better for we humans -- we can adapt when things stay consistent, it's the wild swings that can be hard to adjust to and makes the cold somehow seem...colder.

^^ That does sound like quite a workout -- 60 pails!

Quite the workout AND quite the amount of snow!

:)

Dee

It's been fairly typical this November, rouge. Our weather is always changeable but the temps and precipitation overall have been pretty average.

LOL, yes, lots of soil I hauled up, I was counting down the days before the sharp cold was to arrive and pushed my butt to get as much as greedily possible, Honestly, would not be that difficult a chore if not for the incline that makes for several catch the breath stops along the way! now, come spring, I can deeply amend a few beds to get all thriving within. Dee, the snow makes me happy, well cause in these parts it can't be deemed an overly early snowfall, but as well it's light fluffy stuff that gives excellent insulation to my plants. Worst thing now is to have a big thaw that takes the snow down next to nothing and then experience the return of bitter cold upon totally exposed plants, does lend to loses.

Am currently considering a new snowblower, so many models to choose from, might end up going for a rechargeable battery unit. As well, am thinking of upgrading my fireplace insert to something more efficient that does not require middle of the night feedings! I have over two acres of wood lot, so thankfully no need to purchase firewood, though felling, bucking up and splitting less wood would be something appreciated with a higher efficiency insert, I enjoy hard work, but not necessarily the joys of being a lumber jack, lol.

So you're not a lumberjack and you're not ok?

;)

Dee

I was 14 years old when dad placed a chainsaw in my hands, I said "Well, show me how to use the thing so I don't hurt myself!" ... he replied "You'll learn!" ... dad was a wonderful guy, but that was not the answer I should have received! ... though, thankfully all these long decades later I have remained injury free, not saying though that all trees have come down where I have intended, lol.

-24C/-11F in Saskatoon Canada today 🥶 (I don't recall any forum members residing in this wonderful city 🤔).

October was gloriously warm, november cool.

Instead of doing all my end of the season garden chores in one frenzied week, I took my time this year. It helped that the season lingered on for a good while, in fact I still have greenery and a bloom or two!

However, I got the last two chores done yesterday- extra mulch around the feet of my David Austin's Charlotte, and I dug up the dahlia bulbs that were planted behind the mailbox (and bloomed gorgeously (is that even a word?) Plus the mower is at the shop for it's end of season maintenance.

So, everything got done just about the same time as past years without the angst. Until next Spring - and have a good Thanksgiving all.

My gardening relative says it is cold in her neck of the woods...yikes, and it isn't even December!

Here in Massachusetts, we had a long warm Fall for the most part. We’ve just started to see a shift with colder temps and two threats of snow, that were just a coating.

The weather is so variable! Freezing cold and windy in the morning and sunny and comfortable mid 40s this afternoon. We timed it right and went for a walk, just as the sun came out. We had a LOT of wind this Fall. Wind was not something we had on a regular basis in the past, but summer and fall, I am surprised how often it has been windy.

I must admit that I enjoy every warm day that comes our way, but I still would prefer the clearly defined seasons we grew up with here. There was no such thing as 60F [which is in the forecast for next week] weather in November or 70F in January, like we had a few years ago.

Our Fall has been a lot like my neighbor to the South, Dee.

I’d also love a layer of snow that lasted all winter on the garden, but that doesn’t happen here either.

Anyway…I’m glad to hear that it is still getting cold and snowy in the winter, up in Canada!

I have hardly been in the garden this fall. We pulled out the tomato and pepper plants when they finished and we had some half finished compost that we layered over those beds. We mowed the leaves off the lawn and added them to the garden beds. Got our gutters cleaned out after the leaves came down. We finally got rid of a large brush pile which we should have done back in June. [g] That was it. Lots of things went undone.

Just a lot of other things going on that we’ve been paying attention to, so the garden is on it’s own for the winter and I’m pretty sure come spring, it will do what it always does, put on a show with a little help.

This weekend we got a lot of things done around the house. All the holiday cards were put in the mail. Started a little Christmas shopping. And I’ve been reading a lot.

Although I’m not working in the garden, I have been working ‘out’ and we’re doing a lot of walking. Planning on continuing that through the winter and thinking up different places to go for walks. Looking to add some hills, since our neighborhood is completely flat.

LOVE reading about all the goings on across the country in everyone’s gardens. So many industrious gardeners! FrozeBudd, I would love to live the kind of life you have been living up there, with snow all winter, with your chain saw and acres of trees for the wood stove. Your summer weather sounds like it was marvelous! Yes, get yourself a battery powered snowblower and a new fireplace insert. You deserve it and it will make your life easier and more comfortable.

floral UK - that tree is glorious!

Prairiemoon, my northern summers and autumns are "for the most part" drawing out longer now these days. With the size of this place and endless outdoor chores, when the snow arrives I'm almost relieved having the gardens tucked in for the long winters rest Have received about 20 inches of snow in total, though a good deal of melting has reduced it to a fraction. I love being outside on sunny winter days, even cold ones as long as a wind chill does not exist, we almost never have that raw humid cold that goes right through a person, but of course a handful of very bitter, bitter days that will sharply nip at the ears and fingers! Anyways, been doing a bit too much snow shoveling and that new snowblower weighs on mind ... but, a few recent nice mild days gave chance to pressure wash the veranda and north deck, all squeaky clean now, just don't ask me about the Purolator headache, 13 days the pressure washer sat undelivered from the not too distant Edmonton outlet, despite me phoning in four or five times and being on hold for hours, they somehow were completely inept at getting my address correct and delivery kept going awry, gggrrr!

Frozebudd, I say that every year, that I look forward to the winter break, because as long as it’s warm enough outside, we spend a lot of time gardening all season. We need a break. And it’s a rare winter when I feel inspired to do anything garden related indoors during the winter. I barely keep the houseplants going and I will definitely buy some paper whites at Christmas and hyacinth bulbs as we get closer to spring, but that’s it. I’m not even looking at seed catalogs in January the way I used to.

Part of the reason is that I’ve cut back my vegetable gardening to very few areas. Increasing shade and tree roots have conspired to make vegetable gardening unfulfilling. So reluctantly, I am taking apart my raised beds that are disintegrating anyway, after 10 years of use.

And my perennial and shrub beds are mature, and I move plants around and divide but I’m not buying or starting very many new plants.

Like you I LOVE being outdoors! The only time that isn’t true is when it is too hot. When I was younger I seemed to tolerate cold better, now I have to really dress warm, and maybe I don’t stay outside as long, but I still love it.

The snow shoveling….we have had a few winters in the long ago past, when it seemed like we were shoveling every week, and although I always enjoyed being out shoveling in the winter, there is a limit…lol. And now both my husband and I have given up the snow shoveling. Last winter, we hired someone once to plow the driveway and shovel the walk. The winter before we didn’t have to do that at all. So that is a big change compared to when I was growing up here.

I hope you will get yourself a battery powered snowblower in a size that you can manage and store!

You pressure washed your decks?! I think you are a person who loves to be busy and moving and doing. You would have to be to keep up with the size garden you have. It is an advantage though. Being active keeps you young. But I guess you have to get enough rest time too. Sometimes, even a good thing, you can get too much of. [g] I’ll bet you feel very satisfied looking at those spic and span decks though!