November 2025
Can you believe November is here already? There’s still lots of things you can do in your gardens.
As long as the soil is pliable, you can plant bulbs, and transplant perennials. Remember to water them thoroughly after planting.Sewing a cover crop of winter rye, ( a type of beneficial grass available at good garden centers) over your vegetable garden will prevent soil erosion. Turn it into the soil in the spring . It will add many important nutrients to your garden.
Wrap your tree trucks, especially new trees, with tree tape to prevent sun scald and bark cracking. After doing that, also wrap a tight piece of hardware cloth high around any new tree trunks. (Hardware cloth has a closer wire mesh weave than chicken wire.) It will prevent rabbits and other critters from gurgling your trees in winter and killing them. I made the mistake of not wrapping hardware cloth tight or high enough around my beautiful new Japanese Stewartia tree. It was a very expensive mistake. Go as high up on the tree trunk as you estimate the amount of snow we might get.
I noticed a bad case of scale on my huge Japanese Holly, “Blue Girl”. It’s been fine for years. I’m treating it with all season's horticultural oil, sprayed every week till the temperature drops below 40* consistently. Scale looks like little white spots on the foliage on both sides. Why did this happen? Two possible reasons. One, not enough air circulation around it, as it has gotten quite large. And second, the stress of the drought we’ve had this year. Similar to humans, when you are under a lot of stress, your resistance is down, and you become susceptible to illness. The same thing happens in nature. So, I should have been more diligent in the care of my holly. Another lesson learned. We’re never too old to learn from our mistakes. Take them in stride. I made a note of it in my garden diary.
Once the leaves fall off your roses and hydrangeas, it would be wise to spray their branches with an anti-desiccant. One called Wilt Pruf works great. The temperature must be at least 40°. Spray outside. Available at most good garden centers. This will protect them from the harsh winter winds, keeping them from drying out. It can be used on evergreens you have growing in your landscape, any branches for holiday decoration and Christmas trees.
As November comes to an end, you can start to cut your evergreens for Christmas decorating, and our December workshop. Cut the branches early in the am. Store them outside in a shady spot undercover in a sealed plastic bag. Be sure to spray some water inside the bag to keep them fresh before you close the bag. Open the bag a few days before you need them to thaw out in your garage or mud room in case the water freezes. Always re-cut the stems when ready to put them in your decorations.
