November

By now we have probably had our first “hard” frost.  This frost has killed off most leaves and annual plants, now is the time to rake and remove these plants and leaves from your garden if you have not already, healthy plants next spring start with removing old plants and vegetation this fall. 

Dead plants, mulched leaves and grass clippings make the start of a good compost pile!

You should wait until there is an inch or two of frost in the ground before mulching roses and other tender plants for the winter.  By holding off this mulch layer, mice and moles would have found other places to winter besides around your tender plants!

Now also is the time to wrap up arborvitae plants and other small multi trunk plants to prevent snow and ice load from splitting them apart.

If you haven’t put away your lawn mower yet, make one final cut of your lawn with a low setting, 1 ? - 2”.  Mowing your lawn close for the winter will help reduce the chance of grass compaction and snow mold on your lawn.

Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs right up until the ground freezes. As long as soil temperatures are above 40º F roots will continue to grow, providing your plants a better start next spring.

· And finally, if you have mulch around your trees and shrubs now is the time to “fluff” it up by hard raking and turning over.  This loosening of the mulch will break a surface tension that builds on compacted mulch, preventing rain from reaching the ground, and increases the air spaces, providing a better insulation for your plants during the winter.  Remember, NEVER pile mulch around the stems of trees (AKA Mulch Volcano).  Mulch should be pulled back, 2-4” from the tree stem, exposing the root collar flair.