|
|
|
|
Gardening with Job's Nursery
|
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
 November is here and so is fall with the cooler temperatures and rain. This winter you still want to make sure evergreens are watered monthly just in case these rains don't keep up. Here at the nursery we are getting the place packed away for winter and cleaning up but it's still an excellent time to plant trees and shrubs, so if time allows a planting project or two can be taken care of. Also if your in need of gift ideas, we do offer gift certificates that don't expire. Otherwise I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving! Our November Hours are Monday thru Saturday 9 to 4. We will be closed for Thanksgiving, November 22th.
|
What to do for November in Gardening
November is time to mulch plants, cut back perennials and do a quick clean up in the yard before the cold weather and holiday season come. It's great to be receiving the rain this fall to keep the plants moist, but do remember to check your newly planted evergreens for moisture monthly to keep them happy with you. Below are tips to mulching and cleaning up perennials and ornamental grasses. Don't forget: to drain your hoses and disconnect them from the faucets, blow out the sprinkler system and put those foam blocks in your crawl space vents to keep the house warmer.
|
Meet Jazz Berry Jam Hardy Hibiscus (Mallow Hibiscus)
 Jazz Berry Jam Hardy Hibiscus is a summer blooming perennial that likes heat and has lots of large dark pink flowers. In fact its needs a lot of heat and sun to bloom. I put two of these in my yard and they flowered Late July into October. As soon as the warmth disappeared they stopped blooming. Jazz Berry likes at least a weekly deep soak and can thrive being a bog plant in a pond for a splash of color. In fact its a late sleeper, only bothering to rise out of bed in early May when it feels warm enough to wake up. They reach about 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 feet wide. In the late fall when it dies back, cut it to the ground. Jazz Berry Jam is an easy to take of plant and very low maintenance. If you are not a fan of pink you may consider the Hardy Hibiscus varieties of: Lord Baltimore (red), Delta River II (white), Cranberry Crush (dark red), or Turn of the Century (pink swirl).
|
Mulching for Winter
 Mulching is a process where you build material up around the crown of a plant to insulate it from cold and drying winds. This is practiced where winters storms are hard, fast, and cold (into the low teens or colder). I do this on my roses annually to prevent them from freezing out. Generally you mulch in November when you are preparing the yard for winter. It's easy to do and when using compost makes the plant grow better the next because they are protected and receiving a slow feed over the winter. A 1.5 cuft bag of compost will cover about 6 plants mulch 3 inches thick and a 1 square foot area. A 2 cuft bag will do 8 plants. Not only will roses benefit from a good mulch for winter protection (cold or dryness) but so will the following plants: Mimosa, Figs, Bigleaf Hydrangeas, Blackberries (including Marion or Boysenberries), Rosemary, Crape Myrtle, and Pampass Grass. You can use homemade compost or bagged, like these Garden and Bloome products Harvest Supreme, Rose and Flower Planting Mix or the Farmyard Blend. Acid loving plants like Hellebore, Blueberries, Rhododendrons, and Azaleas would be better with the Acid Planting Mix or a compost blended with Sulfur or Cottonseed Meal to insulate cold temperatures, keep their roots moist but help acidify the soil to help those plant absorb nutrients better. Mulching with compost can also be done to trees, shrubs or perennials that are showing nutrient deficiencies, like yellow leaves when they should be green, to help improve their future growth.
Not sure how to mulch? I filmed the Preparing Roses for Winter Video to help out.
|
Pruning perennials and grasses back for winter
 Now that we have had some frost, it time to cut back those perennials and clean them up for the winter. We cut back deciduous perennials when they begin to die back or turn that yellow/brown color in Late October or Early November (depending when the frosts hit). Deciduous ornamental grasses can be left up most of the winter as a focal point until the winds blow them down. Last winter 2011/2012, I left my Heavy Metal Grass up all winter and then cut it down, while my day lilies were cleaned up in November.
For perennials and grasses that are deciduous, when they die back for winter, we cut them back to the ground. Evergreen or woodier stemmed perennials and evergreen grasses we just even them up and clean out the dead foliage. Some woodier perennials like Lavender can be cut back by about two thirds their size to get them back into shape wh ile others like the Tree Peony are not to be touched otherwise you cut off the next years flowers.
The best way to trim down perennials and grasses is a pair of good hedge shears, for smaller plants you can use a pair of scissors. Then either get rid of the trimmings by either composting them or sending them to the dump. Remember if the plant had some fungal or disease issues during the growing season, do not compost those leaves. It spreads the spores and keeps them around to infect next years foliage.
Here are lists of what to cut back or leave alone
Perennials and Ornamental Grasses to be Cut down for Winter
Perennials and Ornamental Grasses to be just trimmed or Left alone
|
|
|
|
Well that's all for now, remember to Like Us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter to see Foliage for Friday, How-To Photo Albums and Care Notes as I work on them.
Thank you for your interest
Alex Job
Job's Nursery |
November Hours Monday-Saturday 9 to 4
December Hours Wednesday-Saturday 9 to 4
4072 Columbia River Road
Pasco, Washington 99301
509-547-4843
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
