Here are a few garden reminders, tips, inspiring ideas, and maintenance suggestions for your garden this month.

1. Order Seed & Plant Catalogs

During the cold winter months one of the best “gardening activities” is sitting by a fire to scan, read, and absorb seed and plant catalogs. November is a good time of year to make sure you’re getting the best catalogs from mail order suppliers around the country. This will give you plenty of time to pick out your favorite plants, plan where you’re going to plant them, and get them ordered early next year. Here are a few catalogs you’ll want to be sure to get: Burpee, Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Botanical Interests, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds,and Proven Winners Garden Idea Book.

Photo courtesy Floret.

2. Dig Up Dahlias

Dahlias have become one of the most popular home-grown flower crops—for good reason. The flowers are beautiful and come in various shapes, sizes, and colors. Growing dahlias does take some effort in the fall months though. This is the time to cut back dahlias and dig up tubers in preparation for dividing and storing them for winter (some growers divide before storing them, while others wait to divide them until spring). Floret, one of the best flower growers and providers of dahlias tubers, has a good procedure for digging up and storing dahlias.

Photo courtesy Allied Precision.

3. Get a Bird Bath Warmer or Heated Bird Bath

One of the best ways to provide for birds in the cold fall and winter months is to give them access to water. Bird baths with a de-icer are one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to do this in the garden. You can find de-icers online such as this Allied Precision De-Icer that can be added to existing bird baths. If you want to add a bird bath to your garden, consider buying a heated bird bath. You will need an electrical outlet near the bird bath in order to plug it in.

4. Clean & Refill Bird Feeders

To prevent the spread of disease among birds, it’s important to clean bird feeders regularly. The frequency will depend on how active your feeders are, but check them weekly to see if they need to be cleaned. To clean, wear plastic gloves and remove the bird feeder from its location. Empty any remaining feed. Then clean the feeder with dish soap and water (it’s best to do this outdoors). Dry, refill, and put the bird feeder back in its place. It’s also good to have different types of feeders that appeal to different types of birds. For example, suet feeders are good for woodpeckers, nuthatches, chickadees, and wrens; while ground-level feeders are better for doves, juncos, and sparrows.

5. Clean, Repair, & Store Tools

It’s important to properly maintain tools throughout the gardening season, but even cleaning and repairing tools thoroughly just once a year will help them last many seasons. To clean garden tools, start with any that have metal heads or blades. Clean them using a wire brush and linseed oil to remove any dirt or rust that’s built up. The oil will also help protect the metal from rust. Then sharpen shovels and any metal blades using a file. Learn more about seasonal care and maintenance for garden tools.

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6. Continue Planting Trees & Shrubs Until Soil Freezes

Roots don’t go dormant, so fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs that will continue growing roots through the fall and winter months. When spring returns, they’ll be more established which will help the plant grow. If your soil is poor, be sure to amend it well beyond the root zone. If you only amend soil around the root ball, the roots will begin to circle around each other and never develop the proper structure. It’s also good to make sure you prune girdling roots (those that may be wrapping around the trunk slightly). Make sure you plant trees and shrubs so that the root flare is at or slightly above the soil line, and keep new plants watered consistently.

7. Don’t Cut Back Perennials

Avoid cutting back perennials that have winter interest such as seed heads or interesting dried flowers. Seed heads are great sources of food for birds through the fall and winter months, and grasses also make great habitat. Another benefit of letting seed heads stay is that you can save the seeds from many open-pollinated varieties. These seeds can be used to expand or replenish your garden next year (for more information on saving seeds check out the Complete Guide to Saving Seeds by Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough). Many perennials are also quite beautiful through winter, adding sculptural forms to an otherwise mowed-down, flat space. Wait until late winter or early spring to mow or cut back perennial beds.

Photo courtesy Jiggly Greenhouse.

8. Prepare for Pests

Building barriers around new plants is often the best way to protect them from rabbits and voles. If not protected, many new trees are chewed off at the base before they ever have a chance to get established. To protect young trees and shrubs, wrap trunks in a layer of hardware cloth or use a tree guard. Read more about how to keep rabbits out of your garden.

9. Make a Windbreak

Wind can damage trees and shrubs—especially when the wind is dry and cold. If wind is expected, protect new plants by erecting a temporary windbreak. To build a windbreak, drive U-posts into the ground around the plants you want to protect. Then tie garden burlap to the posts using twine or zip ties. If you’re looking for a wind screen for a patio with a little more style check out wind screen dividers.

10. Pick a Fall or Winter Project

Fall and winter are the perfect time to prepare new spaces in your garden for next year. One of the easiest ways to create a new gardening space is to remove a portion of your lawn that doesn't get used often. Then cover the space with a thick layer (4 to 6 inches) of compost and a layer of mulch. This will prepare the bed for planting in the spring. Another project that will produce tasty and beautiful rewards is to add raised beds to your garden for growing produce, herbs, and flowers. Adding an arbor (like the one shown from Gardener's Supply), trellis, or wires attached to a fence are other ways to add to your gardening space. You can grow vining edibles such as beans, peas, Mexican sour gherkins, squash, and other edible crops as well as flowers such as clematis, sweet peas, or climbing snapdragons.

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