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Rain! Has it fallen yet? We've all appreciated the brilliance of a rare sunny October. But plants show the stress. Even with a few weeks of good rains, soil will remain dry around the roots of plants. Be sure to water sensitive rhododendrons and any plant tucked under an overhang or eave.
Prevent future problems:
Keep garden litter raked up this month and throughout winter. Check street drains.
To help prevent yard debris from clogging storm drains, be sure to rake away
leaves and twigs that fall into drain openings or are carried there during rains.
Check for jammed or leaky gutters, because water overflow on to plants can erode
soil around them, causing root exposure and plant damage.
Rose care now:
Go lightly. Tie up long rose canes and other climbing vines to keep them from
whipping and breaking in strong wind storms. November isn't the month to give
roses a heavy pruning. But you can trim back canes lightly to reduce wind damage.
Remember to mulch over the graft union on roses, and save the major pruning
for late February.
November's the best month to plant hardy spring bulbs for early color:
Get the daffodils, tulips, crocus, and hyacinths out of the bags and into the
ground. Obviously if you've already planted, that's great. But if you haven't,
these bulbs need to receive at least 12 weeks of winter chill in the ground
for best spring bloom. Haul out those waterproof knee pads and plant bulbs!
And when planting bulbs like narcissus, dig the hole, fill it with water, and
let it drain so the bulbs reach damp soil as their roots begin to grow.
November through March in western Washington provides ideal weather for transplanting, installing new plants, and generally making garden changes. Plant roots thrive when transplanted in damp, cool weather and all installations of new plants well settle in well. Don't transplant when the ground is sodden and saturated with water, or when temperatures are below freezing.
What if a plant isn't performing as you'd hoped? If you dislike a plant, or it's in constant need of attention, remove it. Taking out unsuitable plants is good for gardeners! There's no law against change in gardens, and as a friend says "you don't have to take guff from plants."
Don't make trouble for yourself. Check with nurseries when adding plants to think about the eventual size and possible maintenance problems. Be sure the plant is the right size for the space, not when planted, but after it's grown. Since we are approaching the holiday season when many gardeners think of living Christmas trees, purchased for decoration and then planted out, it's a good time to review eventual plant sizes. Douglas firs look cute for their first 5 years but can turn into 50 foot monsters by the time they are teenagers!
And hedges planted with over growing plants like English laurel (Prusus laurocerasus) will give you constant grief as they grow. Better choices for hedging plants are viburnum (particularly Viburnum tinus), Pacific wax myrtle (Myrica californica), and tall mahonia. Check with your nursery for the best selections before planting a menace for a hedge.
Hortsense: Managing plant problems with Integrated Pest Management
