November marks the true start of summer — long sunny days, warm soil, and plenty of growth! 🌞 It’s one of the most exciting months in the gardening calendar because almost everything you plant now will thrive through the warmer season. Whether you’re growing flowers, veggies, or herbs, this is the perfect time to get your garden bursting with colour and life.
🌼 Flower Power – Bring on the Summer Blooms!
November is the month to fill your garden with vibrant, heat-loving annuals and perennials. These beauties will carry colour right through to autumn.
🌸 Sun Lovers
Plant zinnias, marigolds, petunias, portulacas, cosmos, celosia, gazanias, salvias, verbena and sunflowers.
These hardy annuals adore the heat and bring instant cheer to any sunny bed or border.
🌿 For Shade or Semi-Shade
Brighten those cooler corners with impatiens, begonias, coleus, lobelia and torenia.
They’ll reward you with lush foliage and pops of soft colour all summer long.
🌷 Perennials to Plant Now
Agapanthus, daylilies, gaura, penstemon, osteospermum and geraniums (pelargoniums) are excellent choices. Once established, they’ll reward you with reliable colour year after year.
💡 Tip: Feed flowering plants with a balanced fertiliser like 3:1:5 or an organic flower booster every few weeks, and mulch well to keep moisture in during hot spells.
🥕 Grow Your Own – Vegetables for November
If you love homegrown produce, this is your month! Warm soil means fast germination and strong growth.
🌱 Sow Directly in the Ground
Beans, sweetcorn, baby marrows, cucumbers, pumpkins, butternuts, gem squash, melons, spinach, carrots, beetroot, lettuce, and radishes can all be sown now.
🌿 Plant Seedlings
Tomatoes, brinjals (eggplants), peppers, cabbage, celery, okra and leeks.
Stake taller crops like tomatoes and beans early to prevent wind damage.
💧 Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, and add a layer of mulch to reduce evaporation.
🌿 Herbs to Add Flavour and Fragrance
Herbs thrive in the warmth of November!
Plant basil, parsley, chives, dill, mint, oregano, thyme, and lemon balm.
🌿 Pick herbs often to encourage bushy growth.
If your garden gets very hot, give tender herbs like basil and coriander a little afternoon shade.
🍊 Fruits for a Sweet Summer Harvest
November is ideal for planting new fruit trees and nurturing existing ones.
Plant granadillas (passionfruit), strawberries, pineapples (in warm regions), melons, and young citrus or fig trees.
Thin out developing fruit on peaches, plums and nectarines to improve size and flavour.
Feed established trees with a potassium-rich fertiliser (3:1:5) and water deeply once or twice a week.
🌳 Trees, Shrubs & Groundcovers
Now’s the time to establish new trees and shrubs before the peak of summer heat.
Choose indigenous favourites like Buddleja auriculata, Plumbago, Tecoma capensis, and Bauhinia galpinii for a hardy, water-wise garden.
For groundcover and texture, plant Dymondia margaretae, Gazania rigens, Liriope, or Pennisetum grasses.
🌿 Remember to mulch around the base to keep roots cool and conserve water.
🌺 Go Indigenous for Summer Beauty
Add resilient South African charm with:
- Aloe cooperi
- Pelargonium
- Arctotis
- Scabiosa
- Felicia amelloides
- Gazania
These indigenous gems handle heat and drought beautifully while attracting pollinators to your garden. 🐝
🌞 Final Touches for a Blooming Summer
- Water deeply and consistently — early morning is best.
- Keep feeding flowering plants and veggies every few weeks.
- Pull out weeds while they’re small.
- Refresh mulch in all beds.
- Take time to enjoy your garden in full bloom! 🌻
🌿 In summary:
November is all about energy, colour and growth. Plant boldly, water wisely, and feed regularly — your garden will reward you with lush blooms, delicious veggies, and thriving life right through summer.
Happy gardening from the ClicknPlant team!
Your garden starts here 🌱
👉 www.clicknplant.co.za
