Monthly To-Do

Click here for a complete list of fall garden clean-up chores for Iowa.

 Dig up and store indoors any tender bulbs, such as gladiolus, cannas, dahlias, and caladiums, that you want to store over the winter.

 Empty all pots and store indoors for the winter. In Iowa's harsh winters, even plastic containers will crack and clay pots will definitely shatter.

 If you have any newly planted trees, especially fruit trees, wrap them with a protective tree wrap now. It prevents sun scald and also prevents rabbits and rodents from nibbling the tasty bark. Remove in spring.

 If you want to be safe, wrap boxwood and any other borderline-hardy evergreens to Iowa in burlap. It's a good idea also to wrap any new evergreens that you planted earlier this year. This will prevent winter burn, which can disfigure the plant badly enough you have to dig it up or cut it down.

 Perennials and strawberries do best with 1 to 4 inches of a loose, removable mulch over and/or around them. Leaves chopped by running a mower over them are perfect.

 Protect roses. Mound all but rugosa roses around the base with 8 to 12 inches of compost or rich, dark soil to protect the bud union (right above the roots) from winter cold. Hybrid teas, grandiflora, and floribunda roses--the least cold-hardy types--are more likely to survive the winter if you also wrap their stems in burlap and twine. Click here for more into on types of roses for Iowa

 Plant spring-blooming bulbs as long as the soil isn't frozen. Water well after planting.

 Force bulbs now, as desired.

 Rake leaves as needed. Keep them off the grass--they can suffocate it. Running the mower over leaves to chop them reduces their volume and makes perfect compost material.

 After the frost, do one final mowing. Then run the mower until the gas tank is empty to store it for winter.

 Maintain your mower and sharpen the blade.

 Detach garden hoses or your faucet may freeze and damage pipes. Drain the hoses and store in the garage or other sheltered place.

For our printable monthly to-do lists and handy garden references, click here.

Garden Quote  

"November comes

And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows.

With night coming early,
And dawn coming late,
And ice in the bucket
And frost by the gate.

The fires burn
And the kettles sing,
And earth sinks to rest
Until next spring."