Tom’s November Tips

1. Plan a new flower bed for next year. Fall is a great time to prepare the bed and amend the soil.
2. Rake fallen leaves and compost. Discard diseased leaves, twigs and fruit.
3. hardy spring flowering bulbs can still be planted outside until the ground freezes.
4. Plant spring bulbs in containers for inside forcing. Add a little bit of spring in the winter months to come!
5. Cut foliage of perennials back to ground after a few hard freezes. Leave interesting seed heads and ornamental grasses for winter interest.
6. Drain and store garden hoses.
7. Store garden chemicals in an area above 40 degrees. Keep out of reach of children and animals.
8. Protect trunks of young, think barked trees, such as Ash, Maple and Linden from winter sun scald by wrapping trunks with a commercial tree wrap. Remove tree wrap in spring.
9. A cylinder of hardware cloth, chicken wire or fencing around plants provides a good defense against rabbits, mice and deer that feed and damage bark and twigs of plants.