November garden checklist

Pests and diseases

Protecting trees and shrubs from animals and the winter sun is critical for plant health. Fences are the best defence against animals, while white tree guards protect the trunks of young and thin-barked trees from the sun, which causes the trunks to crack.

To protect trees from small animals, use 4-foot-tall hardware cloth buried 2-3 inches into the ground. The fencing should not touch any part of a plant—leave room.

Only use white tree guards. White reflects sunlight and keeps the trunks frozen, preventing the freeze-thaw cycle that causes cracks on the south and southwest sides of the trunks. Do not be tempted to use black corrugated tubing you may have on hand, as it absorbs sunlight and heats the trunks, which can exacerbate the issue you are trying to prevent.

Trees and shrubs

Continue watering deeply during dry periods this fall. You should do this until the soil freezes, which is typically late November to mid-December.

Moist soil cools down more slowly than dry soil. Roots need more time to adjust to cooler temperatures than the above-ground parts of our trees and shrubs.

Watering established trees and shrubs is just as important as watering newly planted trees and shrubs.

Flowers and other garden plants

Winterize large pots that are difficult to move indoors by letting them dry down before covering them with an impermeable cover, like a heavy plastic bag. Remove any catch trays from under pots as well.

Ideally, the containers should be lifted off the ground so they do not sit in any potential pools of water. If they do, they may crack due to water freezing in the bottom or walls of ceramic containers, or from the potting mix expanding by freezing. One option is to put the containers on bricks or flat rocks.

Houseplants

Time to bring your amaryllis bulbs out of the dark and into a bright window. It can take 4 to 8 weeks for flowers to form once you get the plants out of storage; temperature plays a significant role in the length of time.

Once the flowers start to open, move the plants out of direct sunlight to make the blooms last longer.

Read more about growing and caring for amaryllis.

Lawn

As tree leaves continue to fall, it is a good idea to mulch them as you mow, even if the grass is done growing. However, if you eventually see less grass than tree leaves, it is likely a good idea to collect the leaves from that point onward to be composted or used somewhere else in your landscape.

Consider gradually lowering your mowing height as you mow, but not lower than 2 inches, as this will help mulch the tree leaves and potentially reduce the amount of snow mold in your lawn this winter.

Finally, November is a great time to dormant seed to improve or renovate your lawn. 

Other tasks

Clean and inspect all your gardening tools before you put them away for the winter. 

• Clean, sharpen, and lightly oil metal tools to prevent rust.
• Drain all hoses before loosely coiling them.
• Put all fertilizer or seed bags on shelves to keep them off the ground, where they can potentially get wet.

Learn more about how to clean and disinfect gardening tools and containers.