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"Even if it is a garden you know by heart
there are twelve months in the year
and every month means a different garden,
and the discovery of things unexpected
all the rest of the year."
~ Margery Fish from We Made a Garden, 1956
• Continue any unfinished tasks from October
• Take cuttings from Geraniums, Coleus and other tender plants you wish to propagate now before the killing frosts.
• Clean up any spent annuals.
• Cut off all spent perennials - be careful to mark the spot where some of the dormant or late-emerging varieties are located! Add healthy-looking foliage to the compost, but discard any diseased or insect-infested leaves or stems.
• Remove and discard unhealthy-looking perennials, evergreens, and flowering shrubs.
• Do not prune back Artemisia, Buddleia, Lantana, or Russian Sage - wait until new growth emerges in spring.
• Cut off spent flower heads from garden Phlox.
• Weed beds and borders to prevent the spread of weed seeds.
• Plant Daffodils and other spring-blooming bulbs - wait until after November 15 to plant Tulips and Lilies.
• Cover in-ground Dahlias, Cannas, and Colocasias with several inches of mulch.
• Dig tender bulbs such as Caladiums after first killing frost, allow bulbs to dry before storing for winter.
• Finish planting Peonies.
• Take Rose cuttings late in the month.
• Mulch Azaleas, Camellias, and other shrubs and trees with shallow root systems. Be careful not to pile mulch against the stems and/or trunk.
• For colorful indoor winter blooms, pot up pots of bulbs to be forced indoors.
• Look for stem borers on Roses and Dogwoods and prune out any infected branches. Wait until late-winter to prune Roses and after flowering in the spring for Dogwoods.
• If you burn wood, start splitting and stacking firewood for this season.
• Keep cutting the lawn, it should not go through winter long.
• Prepare ground for replacement shrubs.
• Finish planting perennials.
• This is a great time to select shade trees for fall color.
• Be on the lookout for blooming Camellias in the garden centers.
• Plant trees now so plants will have a chance to get their roots settled before the ground freezes. Container-grown trees can be planted any timeof the year, but planting at this time is less stressful on both them and you. It gives them time for their roots to become established before spring, and the winter rains water them for you.
• Fall planted trees, shrubs and perennials should not be fertilized at planting time.
• Plant shrubs, including Azaleas - be sure to follow spacing guidelines on the tag taking the mature size of shrubs into consideration. Many gardeners wait to plant until spring when Azaleas are flowering, but if you alreaky know which variety you want, not is the ideal time for the same reasons as trees above.
• Pick green tomatoes before first frost.
• Rake up leaves and add them to the compost pile. they'll decompose faster if you run over them with the lawn mower first, and if your mower has a bag attachment, you don't have to rake at all!
• Fertilize whole garden with 0-20-20 to winterize.
• Store all garden chemicals in a locked cabinet.
• Bring plenty of potting soil and supplies indoors for winter work.