Gardening in November

by Trina Mattson

Gardening in November is like working on a Holiday. Nobody wants to do it, but the payoff in the end is worth the extra effort. If the weather cooperates and we get a few nice days all the cleaning that can be accomplished just makes a healthier garden for next year. And as long as we don’t get too early of a frost there’s lots to be done.

Bulbs can still be worked into the ground for spring displays of colour, starting with plants that bloom as early as mid January. For a display right by the front door, plant your bulbs in pots, and store them to the side, were they will still get the weather, then come spring, when the bulbs are in their prime place them wherever you want instant colour.

While you are planting spring bulbs, you could also dig up any Dahlia, Tuberous Begonia and other such tender bulbs to store for the winter, or if you do what I do, just move the pot into the carport or any dry area and let it dry out for the winter.

If you are wanting to plant amaryllis and spring flowering bulbs so that you have a splash of colour at Christmas, you need to start them soon, as they take 6-8 weeks to grow before they show any colour, and we have brought both into the nursery this year.

By now all the leaves should have fallen off your roses, and clean up is a must, if you want to keep the bacterial bad boys at bay next year, and yes if you want to you can lime your lawn at this point, as well as other lime loving plants.

By now most ponds will have gone dormant, so any floating plants such as water hyacinths should be removed so that they don’t sink to the bottom and create a mess. These can be composted or thrown right into the garden as they will decay right smartly over the winter.

For the most part anyone who does feed their fish can pretty much stop now, keep an eye on the temperature of the water, once the water dips below 10 degrees, fish cannot digest food properly and it just fouls the water.

For any one with hanging baskets, it is time to take them down and clean up the basket and store it away for next year, if you save the plants and nurse them back, to life, clip the plants back and store them in a dry spot over the winter, or if you turf all the plants and soil, do just that. I throw the soil and plants into a spot in the garden and build the soil up to it or dig the basket shaped mound down into the ground, a lot of the plants in hanging baskets are perennial, and come back next year, so I have instantaneous planter effect, and have almost everything come back including geraniums that have managed to over winter out of doors.

And lastly remember to clean up those hard working tools and store them for next year, although you may want to keep out your clippers for next months project.

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Trina Mattson owns and operates the Ordinary Corner Nursery in Tofino.