WhatFinger


Leaves, Mulch, Shrubs and Perennials

November Gardening



Finally fall arrives – in the gardening sense at least. November promises to be a busy month for the passionate gardener and all those truly devoted to pursuits horticultural. Warming both cheeks before the fire of life, as Lawrence Durrell once wrote.

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It’s a good time to eliminate bugs, assorted other thugs and weed seeds also. All without horrifying the nosy neighbourhood environmentalist by use of those ghastly chemicals. An uncared for garden is an unsanitary one. Just as similar circumstances indoors will create a bug paradise, so it is in the great outdoors. Clean up all fallen leaves. Not only those from deciduous trees and shrubs but also perennials as they are cut back. Pile in the middle of the lawn and shred by running the mower over them. Shovel into plastic garbage bags, punch a few holes and stack in a corner to breakdown overwinter. Alternatively they can be used, shredded, as a mulch on perennial, bulb, herb and vegetable gardens but not until the ground has frozen. This will be unlikely prior to Christmas, perhaps even the first week of January. Mulching earlier can cause considerable damage by providing a nice, safe place for various bugs and their progeny to spend the winter. Since the soil will not freeze for four to eight weeks, tree and shrub roots remain active. Allowing them to dry out can spell big trouble next season. It is even worse for evergreens. They rely on absorbing enough moisture at this time of year to carry them through the winter. Once the ground freezes it is vater kaput. So don’t be in a hurry to retire hose and sprinkler for the season, just drain and bring them into shelter when temperatures drop below freezing at night. The last cut of the season is the one time it is permissible to scalp the lawn. Lower the mower blades to trim the grass just a half-inch high. This stops normal-length grass blades as the brown off from bending over to form a smothering mat which, next spring, will impede young growth. The mischievous limerick composed by Frank Richards regarding his monarch Edward the Caresser comes to mind when buying bulbs:
‘No more mistresses,’ King Edward said, ‘Now gardening’s my hobby instead, Now, don’t think it silly, I’ve this nice Jersey Lily, All ready to put into bed.’
Alas, even with global warming enthusiasts sounding clarion calls hither and thither, it is too late to safely plant bulbs. The big box stores seem especially enthusiastic for such sales. Doubtlessly there is good reason they shy away from giving written guarantees of success, don’t you think? Bulbs in the garden this late are not a bright idea. In the home, however, go to it with amaryllis. Ignore bargain basement offerings – the bigger the bulb, the better the blooms. And forget about plastic pots. Stay with the clay instead. This will help stabilize the top-heavy stem topped by weighty flowers. How about a few extra as gifts to black-thumbed friends? Back outside, late this month or early in December comes the annual earthing of the roses. Even our own hardy Canadian ‘Explorer’ and ‘Prairie’ roses will feel safer with such protection for the first couple of years following planting. Cut back bushes to a foot or two high, discarding such prunings – they can carry diseases. Although some experts say climbing roses require similar protection, most southern Ontario gardeners “chance it” and let it all hang out. Seldom it seems are their charges thus doomed, making it through winter after winter with minimal damage. Keep out the hand pruners, perhaps the pruning saw also. Many an arborist continues to cut back as and where necessary even into the depths of winter. The rest of us trim off any dead, dying, diseased or damaged wood from trees and shrubs as it is noticed. Also firmly cut away suckers from the base of woody plants. Some ornamental trees and large shrubs are particularly prone to these, for example, lilacs, crab apples and hawthorns. Very large tree should receive professional inspection on a regular basis. Tree experts, or arborists, often offer reduced rates during the winter months. We used to write that trees should be professionally examined every 20 to 25 years. A recent spate of serious accidents now indicates this should be amended downwards. Every seven or even five, say the experts. Is there anything else to concern us? According to the Old Testament the Lord, disapproving of the Pharaoh, set several plagues upon ancient Egypt. One of them was mice. This fall, Torontonians might be pardoned for suspecting something of the same had inflicted their fair city under its notable leader Mayor Miller. Robbie Burns’ wee sleek and cowering beasties had overrun apartment buildings and even caused the closure a major food distribution warehouse. Surely the plague would spread to gardens across the land’s largest megalopolis. Fortunately, no. One less thing to worry about, although Toronto gardeners still have their beloved mayor.


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Wes Porter -- Bio and Archives

Wes Porter is a horticultural consultant and writer based in Toronto. Wes has over 40 years of experience in both temperate and tropical horticulture from three continents.


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