NOVEMBER

Mow your lawn for the last time in early November. Unless the leaves are really thick on the lawn, it is a good idea to mow the leaves and grind them into mulch for the lawn, as a source of nutrients that can benefit the lawn and also help suppress dandelions.

If the leaves get too thick, you may have to rake them up or bag them with the mower. Don't throw them out though! They're a great mulch for the landscaping, vegetable garden, or wooded areas of your property. Don't pay someone to take your leaves and lawn clippings, and then buy back the mulch or compost.

Put down a late fall lawn fertilizer to help build a dense, deeply rooted turfgrass plant.

Empty, clean, and put your plant containers away in storage. IF this was the first year you used the soil AND your plants were healthy, you CAN reuse the soil once more.  You may need extra fertilizer next spring though.

Plant bulbs, perennials, trees, shrubs, and cool season annuals (pansies, violas, ornamental cabbage and kale, etc.) before the ground freezes.  Trees and shrubs planted now have months to establish healthy roots before summer rolls around.  If you don’t want to buy anything new, you can move plants around in your garden. Maybe your landscape is looking too crowded and you want to space things out. Autumn is the time to divide perennials and transplant.  

Water any new or transplanted plants as needed until the ground freezes.

Dig up summer bulbous and tuberous plants, such as cannas, gladiolus, caladium, or tuberous begonia and store them in a cool, dry, indoor place (40-50 degrees) for the winter. 

Clean up your yard and garden beds, but leave your perennial flowers through the winter as a food source for the birds. Remove any extra debris and clean up foliage if it is diseased.

Lightly prune shrubs and trees. Do NOT prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as azaleas, now. Wait until after they finish blooming.

Mulch garden and landscape beds with shredded leaves, straw, or hardwood mulch.

Winterize all your water sources. Disconnect and drain garden hoses and cover spigots and faucets to prevent freeze damage.  Blow out your irrigation system.  Get outdoor showers, fountains, ponds, hot tubs, pools, and any other outdoor water sources ready for winter. 

Keep an eye out for spotted lanternfly egg masses.

Remember that ticks can be active as long as the temperature is above freezing. Take necessary precautions outside.  

Get ready to enjoy nature’s reset and relax time.