What to Do in the Garden in November: Gardening Chores for Late Fall

Happy November! True, most tender annuals are done by now, and some tender perennials are showing signs of cold damage. But even if the more joyful aspects of gardening are past, there is still work to be done in the garden.

The chores for November fall into four categories, which handily all start with “p”: pruning (neatening up), protecting, propagating (and planting), and planning. 

Featured image above by Frank Heijligers, from Expert Advice: 9 Tips for a Moody Winter Garden.

Pruning (and Neatening)

Once the leaves have dropped from your trees and shrubs and they’ve entered dormancy, it’s time to remove diseased or damaged branches (with trees, you should consider hiring an arborist) and evaluate their structures. That said, make sure the plant is not among those that shouldn’t be pruned until after they flower in spring. (See Your First Garden: What You Need to Know Before You Prune Shrubs and Trees.) Other plants that need to be cut back include certain berries (pruning out old canes will help the plant rejuvenate next year) and annual plants, which can be snipped down to the soil line, allowing the decaying roots to enrich the soil. But don’t get too hung up on neatness: Consider leaving perennials as they are, withered and brown, for overwintering insects and birds. And mulched leaves should be left in beds to return nutrients to the soil, hold moisture, and provide cover to beneficial insects. (For more on this topic, see Fall Gardening: 15 Ideas For What to Do With All Those Leaves.)

Protecting