In your Garden in November

There is a lot to do in your landscape this month. We normally get about 10% of our annual rainfall in November. It's time to get out there and prepare for winter storms and planning ahead for spring. With the recent rains we've been getting, the soil temperatures are still warm and the digging is easy. Get out there and plant, plant, plant!

Color: Pansies planted now will provide beautiful color through the winter months. Columbine, Cyclamen, Poppies, Primrose, Ranunculus, Snapdragon, Stock and Viola will all add a nice splash of color to your garden.

Fruits & Vegetables: Plant containerized fruit trees and bushes now. Don't plant bare root plants until next month. Fruit trees should be sprayed for pests in 6 week intervals when the trees are in their dormant stages. An easy way to remember the schedule is to spray around the following holidays; Thanksgiving (when the last leaf has fallen), New Years Day (the height of dormancy) and Valentine's Day (when the buds begin to swell). Remember to follow the manufacturer's directions for application carefully. Prune old canes of berries (except raspberries) back to the ground leaving the new canes to produce fruit next year. Plant vegetables like artichokes, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, lettuce, onion, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips. Plant strawberries.

Lawn: Cool-season lawns such as fescue, rye and bluegrass can be planted from seed. If you have Bermuda grass and want a green lawn this winter, over seed with a winter rye. Cut the grass short and mulch with a fine-sifted compost. In both cases, keep the soil damp until the seed sprouts.

Roses & Flowers: Stop fertilizing roses this month and prune lightly. Save the hard pruning for January. Most varieties of Hydrangeas bloom on year-old stems. Don't be tempted. Pruning now will reduce the number of flowers you have next year. To try to get blue or purple blooms on plants with normally pink flowers, apply Aluminum Sulfate now. Mulch around Camellias, Azaleas and other Rhododendrons with a high acid mulch. Removing smaller buds on Camellias will result in larger flowers later on.

Irrigation: Do a test run on your irrigation system to ensure that all lines are clear and emitters are working efficiently. Adjust the watering schedule to balance the shorter days and cooler temperatures. When doing this, adjust how often you water, not how long. Keeping the length of the watering cycle the same, allows the moisture to penetrate for a thorough watering less frequently.

Also: Cut back the ornamental grasses when they begin to show signs of new growth.

November is the time to plant natives. Even though they're drought tolerant, they need to be watered until they're established.

If you haven't done so yet, plant your bulbs. Now is the time also to divide Agapanthus, Iris, Moraea and Daylilies and transplant evergreen shrubs. (Though not tender tropicals.)

Prepare for winter rains. Trim or thin trees with heavy top branches so the wind moves through them easily. If you're going to trim them yourself, research proper pruning methods to avoid mistakes that may cause problems later on. Double check stakes on young trees.

Not all of your work is outside. Reposition houseplants so that they benefit from the winter sunlight. Keep them away from drafts and the heat from fireplaces or heating vents.