• Northwest, and Northern
  California Gardens
• Southwest, Desert &
  Southern Cal Gardens
• Northeast, Midwest &
  Central Plains Gardens
• Southeast &
  Mid-Atlantic Gardens
• Rocky Moutains &
  California Mtn Gardens
• Tropical &
  Sub-Tropical Gardens

Gardening Tips for November

Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Gardens

• Consider watering dormant warm-season turfgrass if dry, warm weather is prevailing. Lawns that are overseeded with ryegrass should be irrigated as needed. Collect a soil sample and perform a soil test - if nutrients are missing in your lawn's soil, cool-season turf can be fertilized to help grow deep, healthy roots.
• Prepare your water garden for winter. Lift out hardy waterlilies and plants in submerged pots, and cut off dead leaves. If you believe your pond won't freeze this winter, the plants can be put back below the water surface. Remove rotting leaves and twigs so water quality isn't diminished and fish remain healthy.
• Wrap up the spring-bulb planting. (Tulips, daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, squill and hyacinths are popular choices.) If you live in the warmer parts of zones 8 and 9, consider purchasing pre-chilled bulbs or placing your bulbs in the refrigerator for six weeks before planting them. (If you don't, flowers may not appear next spring.)
• Avoid cutting back all of your frost-killed perennials. Ornamental grasses, coneflowers and black-eyed Susans provide cover and food for songbirds, and upright stonecrops add visual interest. (Marginally hardy perennials and tropicals often overwinter more successfully if their brown tops are not cut off until spring, when new growth appears at the bases.)
• Get out the rake and keep those fallen leaves off your lawn - especially if you've recently seeded. A layer of leaves left on your turf can easily smother young or mature lawns.
• Toss those raked leaves in a compost pile or shred leaves with the lawn mower to use as mulch on landscape beds and borders.
• Keep mowing if your lawn is still growing. Recycle your grass clippings back on the lawn - don't bag them. Contrary to what you might have heard, clippings will not become thatch (that spongy layer found between grass blades and roots).
• Keep your plants well-watered going into late fall and winter, paying close attention to any that have been recently planted. Plants that face winter "dry" are prone to damage and dieback during the cooler months. The trick is to water deeply, and less often to promote self-sufficient plants. (Otherwise the more you water, the shallower plant roots will be.) A layer of mulch around the base of your plants will also help retain moisture.
• Create some "black gold" to add to your garden next year - it's easy when you compost! Garden debris (like spent annuals and vegetables) and fallen leaves make suitable additions to the compost pile.
• Plan your Thanksgiving Day menu with a little winter squash. Butternut and acorn squash are traditional holiday additions - and are even good for you! Roasted squash is an easy and tasty way to get more of this healthful veggie into your family's diet.
• Force paper whites for holiday enjoyment. Blooming paper white bulbs are known for their intoxicating fragrance, especially during the winter holidays. If you'd like to enjoy them in December, now's the time to get started!
• Make a pinecone bird feeder with the kids and grandchildren: Just roll pinecones in peanut butter and birdseed. Hang the finished ornaments with rustic twine or ribbon in shrubs and trees near windows and seating areas for quiet observation and enjoyment.

• Get a head start on eliminating potential garden pests and problems for next spring: Do a thorough cleanup of your planting beds, taking care of any remaining annuals and vegetables in the garden. (Remove dried leaves and other debris from iris, peonies, phlox, bee balm, among other plants.) Any debris that's infested with insects or plagued by fungi should be thrown away - not composted. Good sanitation goes a long way in the garden!
• Help stop other insect and disease problems in 2010: Remove mummified fruits from trees and rake up those that have fallen to the ground around your apple, peach and cherry trees. Remove and destroy any tent caterpillar egg masses and webby bagworm capsules. Scale can be sprayed with dormant oil now and again in early spring.
• Take care of your gardening tools. Outdoor fall chores are winding down. When you're finished for the season, properly clean and store your digging equipment.
• Keep an eye out for lawn disease. Brown patch may rear its head in fall in St. Augustine turf. If round, brown dead patches are seen, look for rotting grass crowns. Remove dead grass with raking, and dig out actively rotting grass at the edges of the patch.
• Come to The Garden Party and share your gardening adventures with other home gardeners in your region, as well as around the country. Post pictures of your garden, write a blog, or ask expert green thumbs for more help, tips or suggestions on how to enhance your outdoor living experience.