November
Brilliant fall leaves this year seem more beautiful than usual. All of us can appreciate the glory of looking through bright leaves at the rare blue skies of November. Vine maple (Acer circinnatum) in my garden shows deep red color now, but in some years show only a drab brown. But whether leaves achieve vivid color or stay subdued, they always fall.
Fallen leaves and twigs can become hazardous. Lawn grasses need air and can't thrive under a coating of wet leaves. As leaves decay, they create slippery spots on walks and patios, and those leaves can lead to falls. (Another one of those reasons for the name of the season?) Keep garden litter raked up this month and throughout winter. Discard any diseased leaves, but place healthy leaves in compost piles to decay over winter and provide excellent mulch in spring.
During November, historically, more rain falls than in any other month. Gardeners can help with keeping surface water flowing rather than backing up. To help prevent yard debris from clogging storm drains, be sure to rake away leaves and twigs that wash into drain openings. Check for jammed or leaky gutters, because water overflow on to plants can erode soil around them, causing root exposure and plant damage. Soil that washes off landscapes can enter streams and rivers, reducing water quality and making life more challenging for fish species.
A very common question relates to early winter rose pruning. Do not prune roses heavily now. Roses that are pruned before February have a greater chance of succumbing to winter freezes. For the last decade, winter temperatures have been fairly mild, but the 1980s saw very low temperatures that caused considerable rose loss from cold. You can trim back very long rose canes and climbing branches to reduce wind damage and breakage, taking about 1/3 of the cane at the most.
To protect roses more completely, remove the old leaves. This is a strange piece of advice that often causes gardeners to shake their heads in disbelief. Roses should go dormant, and stop growing during winter, but the fact is that they don't tend to do that in mild winters. A sudden freeze will kill a rose that's still growing but not one that has stopped. Try to remove rose leaves before Thanksgiving. Don't put them in the compost. Of course, this is easier if you have very few roses. Another way to encourage dormancy is to let the rose form seeds, or hips, which will also tend to slow the rose growth. As a further protection against winter chill, pile about 6 inches of mulch at the root zone of the rose, covering the graft union. (The graft union is a rounded swollen protuberance above the roots, where the root graft meets the top graft.) Save all the major pruning for late February.
November and early December provide the best times to plant hardy spring bulbs for early color: get the daffodils, tulips, crocus, and hyacinths out of the bags and into the ground. Obviously if you've already planted, that's great. Rains and cooling temperatures will start the roots growing. Spring bulbs require several months of "chill" period, time in the damp ground with temperatures below 45° F. For best blooming results, plant so they will get 12 to 16 weeks of chill.
Bulbs that aren't planted in sufficient time will bloom poorly, with small flowers or no flowers. The bulbs may also dry out and fail to grow. So aim to finish bulb plantings by mid-December. Nurseries often have specials on spring bulbs in November; be sure to select bulbs that are firm and solid.
November through March provides ideal weather for transplanting, installing new plants, and generally making garden changes. Roots thrive when transplanted in damp, cool weather and all installations of new plants will settle in well. Don't transplant when the ground is sodden and saturated with water, or when temperatures drop below freezing.
Planting and working in the garden offers a great antidote to dark, rainy weather. Just think how triumphant you'll be when completing ANY garden task in November.
