In the Garden - November 2022
Oct 29, 2022 05:20PM ● By JB Culbertson
It is getting cold now and we need to help our wild friends during the cold weather… I hope you planned to support them. In your feeders you can put out uncooked oats, cereal, cooked brown rice, soaked dog kibble, wet dog or cat food, fresh coconut in the shell, baked potatoes, suet blocks or bird cakes, raw peanuts, walnuts, or other nuts, raw sunflower seeds, or wild bird seed. If you have nothing else, bread is better than nothing at all. You can also leave all your dried flower heads on plants for the birds.
Daylight Savings Time ends on November 7 at 2am.
Veteran’s Day (November 11) is a day of Remembrance. In ancient times, rosemary was thought to strengthen memory. If you did not grow rosemary, put it on your list for next year. If your Mum pots are still blooming, you should plant them in full sun and water frequently until the ground freezes… In the spring, finish pruning. Cut the stems to an inch or so above the ground and fertilize them with nitrogen when they start to grow leaves. Stop fertilizing once they form bulbs. All summer, pinch back… until 4th of July. In fall, put on a high Phosphorus fertilizer. Water often…
If you planted your Agapanthus in containers, you can take them in for winter, in their containers; also dahlias, cannas, glads, calla lilies, and others or lay them out to dry and put them in boxes of sawdust or wrap in dry paper and put in a cardboard boxes or paper boxes dried. If you are still planting spring bulbs (and you can plant them until the ground freezes…I have planted them as late as December) dig an extra three inches in the hole for manure or bulb fertilizer, then put in bulb with point up and water well. If you are planning to pot Amaryllis or paperwhites, now is the time to pot them for blooming at Christmas, January, and February. Place bulbs with their base and roots in lukewarm water for a few hours. Use nutritious potting compost in made mixtures. Place the bulbs up to their necks without damaging the roots. After planting, firmly press down the soil so the bulbs are securely fixed in place. Place potted bulbs in a warm place with direct light, as heat is essential for the development of the stems. Water sparingly until stem appears. As buds and leaves become visible, they will need more water. I love flowers on the window sills in December, January, and February.
A
t this time of year, I put my leaves in the garden to protect the roots of roses and peonies particularly and the rest in the compost pile as I clean up for the season…Happy Gardening!