In November , the weather might still be a miscellaneous handbag , but lessen daylight is shifting the seasonal cycle into a lower gear for a slow ride through wintertime . While some plant seem easily confused by affectionate fall day and drive out ill-timed , last - minute bloom , others cease shedding their leaves to record dormancy . Either way , we gardeners can make the most of what ’s left and prepare for our own seasonal slow - down .
Leave faded perennial growth standing . Traditionally , gardens are put to bottom by cut back down every stem and blowing parting to the curb . But tidiness is overrated . Instead , allow pile of healthy stems and cum heads to stay on stick out to provide wintertime interest as well as habitat and sustenance for overwintering wildlife ( principally worm and birds ) . Expect — and enjoy — some self - sowing . But remove any stems and leafage damaged by fungal infection to prevent spread , and do not compost them .
Mulch with leaves . Leave the leaves , as nature does , to recycle the time of year ’s food back into the grease . Mow fallen farewell into the lawn to give down over wintertime , and rake shredded leaves back into the beds around your shrub and perennials as insulating mulch . This is a bang-up way to push the zone with marginally hardy flora . Layers of leafage mulch will also aid to suppress timeserving weeds like chickweed and to protect overwintering insects , such as bumblebees , garden spiders , and some butterfly stroke coinage .
Collect leave-taking to make leaf modeling for next year . Stockpile redundant leaves to mix into your compost over the coming time of year and to use as mulch in your beds next summertime . First , farce them through a shredder or go them over with a mower , which both increases their surface sphere for microbic action and deoxidise the amount of space they take up . If you do n’t have way in your compost area for a loose mountain , contain your shredded leaves in bins manufacture out of wire fencing that are 4 feet tall and orotund . give up pelting and blow into the bins will speed decomposition , resulting in a cake - mixture goop eff asleaf mold , which is fat with nutrients and has an extraordinarily high moisture - holding capability . keep your chopped leaves tarped and dry over winter will plainly delay that cognitive process .
Deeply water supply before winterise irrigation . Before winding hosiery and station them in their designate spot in your fresh tidied shed , give drought - emphasize tree , shrub , and perennials , as well as fresh institute additions , one last deep drink to encourage respectable ascendant restoration and development . Keep an eye on the forecast , and turn outdoor water off before a recondite freeze scissure your pipework .
Empty terra - cotta pots . modest - fire terra - cotta and cement container and ornaments may flake or crack if subjected to cycles of frost and thawing . Empty used soil from containers ( except those you might meet with vacation arrangements of winter greens ) before storing them away . If you do n’t have room inside , turn containers upside down and raise them off the terra firma on block . Also , heap pulley-block between nested hatful to prevent moisture from paste them together , and compensate them with a tarp .
By November , my energy level , like my garden ’s , is on the ebbing , so doing the bare minimum works for me . The good tidings is that saving the majority of the cutback and respectable - up until bounce and leaving the parting is in reality the most sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative . Your garden wo n’t be a good deal ; it ’ll be wintertime - interesting . Do n’t let your neighbour tell you otherwise .
— Kristin Green is author ofPlantiful : Start Small , Grow Big With 150 plant That Spread , Self - Sow , and Overwinter . She gardens in Bristol , Rhode Island .
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Seed heads, like those of these purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3-9) add texture to winter gardens and provide food for native birds. Photo: Kristin Green
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Seed heads, like those of these purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea, Zones 3-9) add texture to winter gardens and provide food for native birds. Photo: Kristin Green
Leaves make a great, free, insulating mulch to protect perennials during the winter. Photo: Kristin Green
Make your own nutritious leaf mold over winter. Photo: Mark Dwyer
Conifers especially appreciate a deep watering before winter. Photo: Erin Presley
I’m assembling and stacking terra-cotta containers upside down on blocks prior to covering them with a tarp for outdoor winter storage. Photo: Kristin Green
