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...because all the best garden advice is local

November 5, 2015
  Veronica in front of Korean spice viburnum
  
   
This past week of unseasonably beautiful late fall weather has been a gift. A few more days to get the bulbs in. A few more days to get out and work in the sunshine, cleaning up the garden. A few more days to truly enjoy a walk or two.
   Weirdly, I still have not had anything more than the lightest of frosts in my garden. So I'm still picking tomatoes and flowers even as I'm starting to make plans for Thanksgiving.
   The cold nasty stuff will get here soon enough. In the meantime, I'm savoring every hour of every balmy day.
 
Yours in unseasonable gardening, 
Veronica Lorson Fowler
 
Lotsa Leaves
 
raking leaves My favorite way of dealing with leaves, hands down, is to mow over them with a power mower with a bag attached. Then just dump the bag of chopped leaves on the compost heap.
   Check out other favorite ways to dispose of autumn leaves.
To Cut Back Or Not To Cut Back
 
using electric hedge trimmer to cut perennials Some gardeners like to cut back their perennials in the fall; others like to do it in the spring. My preference is now--it makes the garden look tidier and prevents a number of disease pathogens and problem pests from overwintering, hiding under all that foliage.    Click here for more info and our best tips for cutting back perennials.
 
Forcing Bulbs For Indoor Bloom 

One of the most fun little fall projects is to plant some bulbs in a pot, chill them, and then bring them out in early winter to bloom inside in late winter.
   This process, called forcing, is easy and pots of forced bulbs can make great holiday gifts for gardening friends and family, teachers, and office mates.


Garden Quote  
 
"I walked alone in the depths of Autumn woods;
The ruthless winds had left the maple bare;
The fern was withered, and the sweetbrier's breath
No longer gave its fragrance to the air."

Albert Laighton, "In the Woods," 1859
Editor's Choice Garden Event 
 
Sunday, November 22
Iowa Arboretum, Madrid
1:00-3:00 p.m. Whether you are counting down to Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, make a unique advent calendar using natural and repurposed materials. Materials provided. Great for singles, families, or couples!

Issue: 121
Monthly To-Do
 
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.