November Gardening Activities

Plant   You can continue to transplant evergreens, trees, and perennials throughout the fall and winter, as long as they remain dormant. However, fall planting crapemyrtles, edgeworthias, loropetalums, hardy gardenias, butterfly bushes, and warm-season grasses like muhly grass, Miscanthus, and Pennisetum can be a gamble if we have a severe winter. It’s the ideal time to plant spring-flowering bulbs. Consider planting some of the minor bulbs such as winter aconite, glory of the snow, species tulips, narcissus, and grape hyacinths.

Lawn Care   Remove fallen leaves so they don’t smother grass.  Shred fallen leaves for mulch or compost. You can mow over a light layer of leaves on your lawn with a mulching blade, turning them into a mulch that adds important nutrients back to the lawn.

Indoor Stop fertilizing indoor plants until spring. Force bulbs indoors like narcissus, hyacinths, and amaryllis for color early in the new year.

Other   If still blooming at first frost, leave flower seed heads for the birds.  Mulch beds with shredded leaves, aged compost, or pine needles. Remove spent annuals.  Cut the tops off asparagus plants and mulch with a good layer of compost. Cover strawberries with 2 inches of hay or straw to reduce weeds and increase winter protection. Winterize your irrigation system before freezing temperatures arrive to avoid broken pipes and costly repairs.