November Southern Garden Checklist

Fall Planting:

• Plant winter crops of lettuce, spinach and other greens in the garden. Use a coldframe or row covers to protect them from cold winter temperatures if needed.
• Those gardening in areas with mild winters can plant pansies, pinks, snapdragons and sweet Williams for winter color.
• Plant spring flowering bulbs suited to your region when the night temperatures are consistently between 40 and 50 degrees. Those in the far south need to select bulbs that need minimal chilling or purchase precooled bulbs.
• Continue planting trees and shrubs. The warm soil and cooler air temperatures help plants adapt more quickly to their new location.
• This is also a good time to transplant trees and shrubs that need to be moved and are small enough to handle.
• Plant freesias outdoors in zones 9 and 10. Or plant several bulbs in a 6” pot to force indoors. Place potted freesias in a cool, 55-degree location, for 45 days for more compact growth.

Fall Landscape Care:

• Continue to water as needed. Make new plantings, moisture loving plants and evergreens a priority.
• Install wind and sun screens. Burlap, landscape fabrics or other barriers can protect sensitive plants from winter damage.
• Gather and shred fall leaves to use as mulch, amend vacant garden beds or add to the compost pile.
• Continue fall clean up. Ridding the landscape of diseased leaves, fruit and annual plants is the first step in pest control.
• Be careful when adding holiday lights to the winter landscape. Do not wrap branches with strands of lights. Drape the lights over the branches, loosely secure the lights to the stems or use lighted netting. Remove lights in spring.