We assume you’re ALL out in the garden getting it ready for the new season and are well on your way to having your borders cleaned up.   (To summarize spring clean-up, it’s removing dead plant material, hacking back ornamental grasses, weeding and mulching.)

But there’s one other chore that has a huge impact in the garden and that’s creating edges to your borders that are nice  to look at – either straight lines or gently curving ones, depending on your taste – and a barrier to turfgrass and border plants encroaching on each other’s space.   And we all know how that encroachment looks by mid-summer, right?

Stone edging looks great but...

So creating and maintaining clean edges is a big topic among gardeners, one I’m asked about frequently.  Usually the asker is trying to avoid the expense of bricks or stone, like the lovely ones you see above, not to mention the extra work required after mowing.  Yes, this pretty edge IS high-maintenance, requiring the gardener to use clippers of some type to trim the grass along it because mowers can’t get close enough to those stones.

Some people have had success with plastic or metal edging that’s pounded into the soil, allowing the mower to trim right over it, and I say whatever works.  But if you don’t like that look or don’t want to have to buy it, there’s another, totally natural way to edge, the way I recommend and used in my own garden when I had a lawn.

Those Victorians got it Right

Behold the “Victorian trench,” and I’ll never know why it’s called that because we don’t usually associate the word “Victorian” with anything naturalistic.   It does what edging needs to do — holds back the lawn from the garden and the garden from the lawn — without being an eyesore in the garden.

How to Do It

It’s easy. Just take a flat-edged shovel and dig straight down 3 inches along the outer edge of the lawn. Then dig a second slice that’s at a 45-degree in the direction of the border or bed. So you’ll end up with a trench that’s straight downward on the lawn side and angled up to the border. Remove the extra soil. Then mulch the border, allowing some mulch to cover the slope of your new edge, and voila — you’ve got an edge that looks spiffy but natural.

How to Maintain It

Okay, here’s the downside. It needs to be spruced up at least once a year. That means removing any grass on the border side, border plants on the grass side, and re-digging the edge as needed. But hey, even hard plastic edges allow for the occasional movement of plants in the wrong direction, and they’re known to pop up and need maintenance to keep them in place.

Also, think of all the maintenance saved by not having to hand-trim grass along the edge, since the mower wheels can be directed into the edge or along the top of the border to ensure mowing of the whole lawn.

Another pretty example of natural edging.

Posted by Susan Harris.

Daffodils and crocuses – just enjoy!

Vegetables and Herbs

Nonwoody Ornamental Plants

• This is a great time to plant cool-season pansies, Dianthus and snapdragons for color, but remember not to set out tender annuals (impatiens, marigolds, petunias, salvia, etc) until after the last frost date – the first week in May for the DC metro area.
• If you still have unplanted bulbs from last fall, they may still be worth planting. Inspect them carefully and only plant the best quality. Many may be in bad condition and not worth planting. If they were stored where it was warm, they likely will not flower this year but once getting established should do well next year.
• Time to clean up your ornamental beds!  Cut back your ornamental grasses and the stems of last year’s perennials.  Remove dead leaves, weed, and you’re ready to apply 1-2 inches of mulch this month, or later in the spring if you choose.  Don’t let garden debris (like dead leaves) stay on top of groundcovers and short perennials, as this can cause foliar diseases in the spring. Trim back English ivy that is invading walkways, turf and garden beds.  You can divide perennials as they poke up from the ground this month.
• If you start ornamental annuals from seeds, you can start them indoors in March -  5-6 weeks before they are planted outdoors.

Ponds

• You may be asking:  Hey, where are all the fish in my pond?  If so, watch out for Great Blue Herons, which can see the sun’s reflection off the water from a long way off.  Bird netting will keep them and any leaves out of the pond.  Our Larry Hurley reports that once he removes the leaves from his semi-shaded pond, it’s no longer bothered by the herons.
• So, use a net to remove leaves and debris with a net. This will help reduce problems with algae. Small ponds can be completely pumped out, cleaned and refilled. The sooner you can do this the better, because by April many species of amphibians will lay their eggs in the pond and you don’t want to disturb them. If eggs have already been laid be very careful and gentle when cleaning the pond to avoid harming them.

Lawn

• Now is the second best time to seed your lawn to cover thin or bare spots.  (The best is late August through October.)
• Also, spring is not the best time to apply fertilizer to lawn unless it’s weak and thin and you didn’t feed it last fall.  Fertilizing in the spring encourages rapid succulent growth that is more susceptible to attack by insects and disease.  If applied, use slow-release or organic fertilizer only.
• If you had a crabgrass problem last year consider applying a pre-emergent herbicide later this month when the forsythias are in bloom.  They tend to bloom about the same time that the soil is warm enough for crabgrass seeds to germinate.  Best control of crabgrass is achieved by splitting this herbicide treatment into two applications – first in mid-March in late March and the second half in mid-May.
• Chickweed, dead nettle, henbit and other broadleaf winter annual weeds are starting to grow again at this time – they germinated last fall and were dormant throughout the winter. They can be treated with a labeled broadleaf weed herbicide when they’re more actively growing later this month or throughout April. Small infestations can be pulled by hand. However, fall herbicide applications when these weeds are germinating often produce better control.
• Don’t do any aerating of your compacted lawn during the wet spring conditions; digging and disturbing the soil then will just make it worse.  Wait for it to dry out.
• This is the time to sharpen your lawn mower blades and service your mower. Dull blades tear turfgrass and can lead to damage and disease problems. Remember to sharpen your mower blade a few times throughout the mowing season.

Indoor Plants

• Now is a good time to begin re-potting and dividing houseplants that are outgrowing their containers, moving them to the next-larger pot.  Use only lightweight soilless potting mixes, never garden soil.   If a houseplant is already in a very large container and you can’t move it up to a larger one, you can remove the plant and prune its roots. Fill the outside with fresh potting medium. Pruning some of the roots may set the plant back a little but it will recover and it will have more space for the roots and improve pot drainage.
• As new growth appears, resume fertilizing houseplants on a monthly basis.  Also gradually increase watering to the regular spring-summer amount, remembering that overwatering is the most common cause of houseplant death.
• Keep an eye out for signs of pests like spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects. If addressed promptly, these nonchemical methods work: spray of plain water, insecticidal soap spray, or with the most tenacious (like mealybugs) sometimes an alcohol swab and Q-tip.

  

Wildlife

• Empty bird boxes of old nests.
• Many birds are now actively scouting our landscapes for places to nest this spring, so this is a good time to put up a birdhouse (nest box) to encourage nesting. Some bird species that use birdhouses (nest boxes) are bluebirds, purple martins, tree swallows, and wrens.
• Apply deer repellents as your perennials begin to grow. Deer will begin to switch to their warm weather feeding patterns (from shrubs to more tender plants), and repellents applied early on are the most effective.

Final Words from Larry Hurley

• If you have pathways that are mulch covered, March is a good time to add more mulch.
• And his favorite tip?  “Call in sick on nice days, and spend time in the outdoors. Shop first.”

Photo credits: daffodils, crocus,  pansy,   tree swallow.

You can get weeks more of enjoyment from your tree and help the birds by leaving the strings of popcorn and cranberries right where they are and moving the tree, stand and all, to your garden.  Hang slices of oranges and pieces of suet – the suet can also be smeared into the branches.  Pine cones filled with peanut butter and bird seed can also be hung from the branches.  When the birds are done with the tree, just remove all decorations, hooks and tinsel strands and mulch the tree, as described below.

Just dump the tree on its side in a protected part of the yard to provide shelter for wildlife, including rabbits.  Allowed to decompose, the tree will become home to insects, fungi and possibly even amphibians and reptiles.

Just remove the branches to turn your tree into a trellis or vegetable stake.

And get this:  some people place their used trees in their fish ponds, where they serve as refuge and feeding areas for the fish.  Some experts recommend removing all the needles first, as they’re mildly toxic to the fish.

Turn your tree into mulch that’s perfect for paths with the help of a chipper/shredder (a great tool to share with neighbors).  Even without a chipper, you can trim the branches and place them on perennial beds to reduce the heaving caused by cycles of freezing and thawing.

Chop it into firewood and kindling. A typical fir can be turned into 13+ pounds of firewood.  Dry branches make great kindling for starting fires.

And if you don’t have a spot for the tree in your garden, there are still good uses that can be made of it.   As long as it doesn’t end up in the landfill, right?

Donate it for stream protection. Christmas trees are increasingly used to shore up streamsides as erosion control, so check with the nearest water protection group to see if they can put your tree to good use.  They may even pick up the tree for you.

Here are the details from some local jurisdictions.

• Montgomery County collects Christmas trees on regular recycling day from Monday, December 26, 2011 through Friday, February 3, 2012.  They ask that you please put your Christmas tree at the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day. After February 3, 2012, you may still recycle your tree through their curbside yard trim collection. but if you wait til then the tree must then be cut into smaller pieces. The mulch created is available to residents free of charge at these locations.

• Prince George’s County provides Christmas tree collection and drop-off services for recycling of live Christmas trees at no charge.   Every tree collected is shredded and cured into mulch for their annual spring Mulch Giveaway event.  (Last year, more than 26 tons of Christmas trees were collected.)  To participate, residents with County-provided yard waste collection service should place their undecorated Christmas trees at curbside before 6:30 a.m. on their regularly scheduled collection day.  They can also bring their undecorated trees, at no charge, to the Prince George’s County Yard Waste Composting Facility, 6601 Southeast Crain Highway in Upper Marlboro; Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or to the Brown Station Road Public Convenience Center, 3501 Brown Station Road, Upper Marlboro; Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. through January 31, 2012.  Before dropping off the trees, residents are reminded to remove all tree stands, tinsel, lights and ornaments from trees.  Only undecorated trees will be accepted.

• For Washington, D.C., its website says that “Holiday trees and wreaths will be picked up curbside from January 3 to January 14. Remove all decorations and place the greenery in the treebox space in front of your home between Monday, January 2, and Monday, January 9. Please do not put the trees in plastic or cloth bags. Trees collected between January 3 and 14 will be recycled. Any trees not collected by January 14 should be set out with your trash to be picked up as space in the trash trucks allows over the following weeks. Residents also can bring trees to the Ft. Totten Transfer Station weekdays, 1 pm-5 pm, and Saturdays, 8 am-3 pm, for free tree chipping.”

• From Arlington County, there’s this information: “Christmas Tree Collection will be from January 3-17, 2012 on your regular refuse day. Since trees will be ground into wood mulch, please remove the tree stand, lights, and decorations. Please do not place the tree in a plastic bag. During the first two full weeks in January, Christmas trees are collected curbside for residents with curbside refuse and recycling service. Residents are reminded to place the tree on the curb no later than 6 am on your regular trash collection day and to remove all decorations, nails, stands, and plastic bags. After the trees are collected, they will be ground into wood mulch for garden use. Special unbundled brush or metal pickups will be suspended during this time.

• For Fairfax County, trees less than 8 feet tall can be left out by the curb during the first two weeks of January for no additional cost. For trees larger than 8 feet, contact your trash hauler for collection details.  Mulch created by Fairfax County is available to residents free of charge at these locations.

Tree photo credit.  Sign photo credit.

Trees and Shrubs

• To reduce the chances of  damage by rodents over the winter, clear away weeds and dead leaves from around the base of shrubs and trees, especially fruit trees.
• Pruning of spring-blooming deciduous (leaf-dropping) trees and shrubs should be limited to removing dead, broken or diseased branches.  (Major pruning of spring-bloomers should be done soon after blooming; that way you get to enjoy the blooms.)   It’s fine to take some trimmings from your evergreens for holiday decorating, though.  Hollies, boxwoods and pines are great for this.
• If we have a heavy snow, try to keep it from building up on the gutters and eaves above shrubs.  Also use an upward motion to gently sweep snow off the shrubs to prevent breakage.
• It’s good to apply 2-3 inches of mulch this month if you haven’t done it already; just be sure to keep it away from the trunks of trees and shrubs.
• Newly planted or young trees can be fertilized this month, as long as the ground isn’t frozen.  Their roots continue to grow over the winter and benefit from the feeding.  Mature trees generally don’t need to be fed.
• If we have a dry spell of several weeks, water your newly planted trees and shrubs, especially the broadleaf evergreens like rhododendrons, azaleas and cherry laurels.
• It’s still okay to plant trees and shrubs this month, as long as the ground isn’t frozen.  However, it’s too late to transplant trees and shrubs from one spot to another in the garden – they wouldn’t have enough time to recover before severe winter temperatures.
• It’ll soon be time to spray anti-dessicants on your evergreens for the winter to help prevent wind-burn.  Products such as Wilt-Stop and Freeze-Pruf work well to minimize leaf browning due to low temperatures and excessively dry air that pulls the moisture from the leaves.  A light coating will do the trick for your broadleaf evergreens such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, hollies, boxwood, mahonia, leucothoe, etc.  (Spray the foliage once the temperatures stay cold and follow bottle instructions as to how lightly or heavily to coat the leaves.)
• Every year after a heavy snowfall we’re asked about Japanese Maple branches that break due to the weight of snow. So here’s the way to prevent damage to them: Make sure there is no accumulation of leaves on branches. You can even do what they do in Japan – support branches with a board that has a V notch cut in it, then wrapped in burlap (to avoid abrasion to the branch).

Perennials, Annuals and Border

• Now’s a good time to collect free seeds from your own garden – from plants like cleome, zinnias, cosmos, celosia and butterfly weed.
• If you apply compost now to your borders (and we love Maryland’s own 100% organic Leafgro) – it’ll have plenty of time to enrich the soil before spring.
• Evergreen perennials like hellebores prefer sunlight to being buried under six inches of wet leaves for the winter, so remove leaves from around and on top of them.  Also, remove leaves from near creeping and woodland phlox.
• If you didn’t get around to putting your potted perennials in the ground, don’t panic.  Our perennials manager Larry Hurley has found that most pots of perennials overwinter quite well if placed on the ground and covered with 8 or 10 inches of leaves, preferably oak which doesn’t mat down as badly as maple. Uncover the plants in early March.
•  If you have lavender in your garden, it survives the winter better if mulched with gravel rather than bark mulch – because lavender hates soggy soil and moisture around the stem.  White marble chips are a good mulch for lavender because the dust reduces soil acidity, something else that’s good for lavender.

Bulbs

• If you still haven’t found time to plant your tulips, it’s not too late.  They’ve been known to still bloom in the spring in our area despite being planted as late as January.

Indoor, Seasonal and Overwintered Plants

• Check overwintered plants in the basement or garage to see if they need watering.
• Check your houseplants monthly for possible pests like scale, mealybugs and spider mites.  They’re easier to control if you catch them early – with a water spray or insecticidal soap.  If both those methods fail, use a Q-tip dipped in alcohol to swab away the offender.
• Be careful NOT to overwater.  With reduced light, your houseplants really don’t need as much water.  Let the soil dry out between waterings.
• And don’t feed your houseplants during the winter – unless they’re growing under optimum, high-light conditions.
• If you’ve potted up amaryllis bulbs, wake them up by watering once, then putting them in a spot with bright light and waiting for them to respond.  Water again in two weeks if they haven’t responded yet.

Water Gardens

• If you didn’t cover your pond to prevent leaves from falling in, remove the leaves from the water now.  (If you don’t, the decomposing leaves will produce gases that get trapped under the ice and can sicken or kill your fish.)  Cover the pond with screen after its been cleaned.
• Stop feeding your fish – they can’t metabolize food easily during cold weather, and that can make them sick (or worse).

Wildlife

• Give local birds a break by providing (unfrozen) water for them all winter, and food, too.  And leave the seedheads of your black-eyed susans and coneflowers up for them to munch on.
• Join Project Feederwatch and start counting birds – for fun and science!
• Winter is when deer get desperate and target some of our most expensive plants – the shrubs and trees.  So don’t stop spraying them with deer repellant.  Put it on your calendar so you don’t forget.
• If you feed the birds, clean up the bird seed hulls under the feeder. Sunflower seed hulls suppress plant growth and can stunt your perennials if they collect under the feeder.
• Put your hummingbird feeder away for the winter. They went South.

Lawn

• Keep fallen leaves off your lawn.  Mowing them with a mulching mower (one with a bag) is a great idea because you can then compost the chopped-up leaves or apply them as mulch.  If your mower doesn’t have a bag, just leave the chopped up leaves on the lawn to feed your turfgrass; mow over them twice to ensure nice small bits that will decompose quickly.
• It’s too late to fertilize – wait until spring.

Vegetables and Herbs

• Protect beets, spinach, lettuce, broccoli and other cool-season greens that have already germinated in the fall garden with a cold frame, plastic sheeting or floating row cover.   And remember to vent the cold frame or plastic cover on sunny days to prevent heat build-up.
• You can over-winter carrots, parsnips and turnips by covering the bed with a deep straw or leaf mulch.  Just pull them up throughout the winter when you’re ready to eat them.
• Keep garden beds covered with shredded leaves or mulch to minimize the risk of soil erosion and nutrient run-off.
• Store dried herbs in a cool, dark location away from the stove but in full, direct sunlight (or give them 14 hours of fluorescent lighting each day).
• Applying compost now to your vegetable garden – like Maryland’s own 100% organic Leafgro – will give it plenty of time to enrich the soil before spring.

Miscellaneous

• Have you turned off your outdoor hoses, brought your non-weatherproof pots indoors yet?  Get on it!
• Good time to take the mower in for service after the final mowing – before the spring rush.  Then store without gas in the tank, by running it dry.
• Do NOT use fertilizer to melt ice – it pollutes our watershed and can damage concrete, metal and plants.

Final  Thought

All that said, Behnkes staffer Susan O’Hara has this answer to the question of what to do in the garden in December (and who can argue with it?)

It’s December. Enough said. Spend much time enjoying the company of friends and family. Even in this economy, we can all do that. Money’s too tight for buying gifts? Give the gift of yourself. Rake someone’s leaves; take out your elderly neighbor’s trash; drive your mom through the neighborhood to look at the lights. Make memories.

Photo credits:  cardinals in snow, amaryllis, holly and snow, row covers, snow on pines.

Trees and Shrubs

• If the month is dry, watch for watering needs during dry spells so that trees and shrubs will go into dormancy well hydrated – especially newly planted or transplanted ones.  Evergreens – both the conifers and the broadleaf types – are particularly vulnerable to winterburn from lack of hydration.
• Trees and shrubs can be planted until the ground freezes.  And lots of them are on sale or reduced in the garden centers (like Behnkes!).
• Fall is also a good time to fertilize trees and shrubs (up until the ground freezes).  Newly planted and very young trees and shrubs benefit the most from tree fertilization, also trees that haven’t been fed for 3-4 years and seem to be growing slowly.  (It’s rarely necessary to fertilize a full-grown tree.)  Apply a granular, low-phosphorus fertilizer under the tree’s canopy and 8-10 feet out from the canopy.  Trees that are surrounded by lawn get some fertilizer when the lawn is fed, so probably don’t need additional feeding.
• Deciduous (leaf-dropping) trees can be pruned this month after they drop their leaves and go into dormancy – it’ll be easier to see the structure of branches and determine what pruning needs to be done. Begin pruning by removing all dead, diseased branches and then make any necessary cosmetic cuts.  Don’t prune spring-flowering shrubs now, though (except to remove dead or broken branches) or you’ll just cut off their blooms. Wait til just after they’ve bloomed to do it.  Be sure to use sharp pruners or loppers; otherwise the could may not heal properly, leading to disease and insect problems.  And remember, try not to remove more than one third of the overall branches of a tree or shrub at any one time.
• Don’t prune evergreens (conifers or broadleaf types like Photinia) now – wait until late winter or early spring (March or April).
• Don’t worry if your rhododendrons or conifers are showing yellowing and dropping of some of their interior older leaves – that’s normal for this time of year.

Edibles

• Spinach, lettuce, arugula, kale, and other cool-season crops can be protected from freezing with a cold frame, plastic sheeting or floating row cover to extend their productivity.  Be sure to vent the cold frame or plastic cover on sunny days to prevent excessive heat build-up.
• Carrots, parsnips, and turnips can be over-wintered by covering the bed with a deep straw or leaf mulch.   These root crops can be harvested through the winter, as needed.
• Spinach can even be sown this month, for early spring harvest.
• Plant garlic soon after the first frost.
• This is a good time to incorporate organic matter (like composted manure) into garden beds.   Speaking of organic matter, you can use shredded leaves to keep the beds covered over the winter to minimize the risk of soil erosion and nutrient run-off.  The leaves can be tilled into the garden in spring or left in place as a mulch between rows of vegetables.
• Alternatively, grow a cover crop to improve the soil for the next season and protect the soil from erosion and run-off all winter.  Clover is great as a cover crop – it fixes nitrogen – drawing it from the air and putting it into the soil. Annual Rye grass is another great option – when turned under in the spring it adds organic matter and the roots break down the heavy compacted clay soils.
• Remove all dead and weak herb plants from the garden. Dried herbs should be stored in a cool, dark location.

Outdoor Bulbs, including Tender “Bulbs”

• It’s not too late to plant spring-blooming bulbs like tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.  If you can’t get to them all right away, do the daffodils and small bulbs as soon as possible; the tulips can wait until December if need be – as long as the ground isn’t frozen.
• Dig cannas, dahlias and other tender bulb-like plants before the killing frost if you want to save them for next year and store them in a cool dry place.  After the frost has turned the foliage black, cut the tops back to 2-3″ (or for cannas and dahlias, 4-6″), dig up the “bulb”, brush off the soil and let it dry for 1-3 weeks to sure.  Store in a dry spot that’s ideally 40-50 degrees – perhaps an unheated basement or a crawl space – in boxes, pots, or mesh bags filled with bark chips, peat moss, vermiculite or perlite.  Check periodically for shriveling or decay.  Store caladiums, dahlias and tuberous begonias in slightly moistened peat moss. Gladiolus requires an 8-week chilling period at 35-41° F.

Indoor Plants, including Bulbs

•  Bring houseplants, tropicals and other tender plants inside before the killing frost. Check for mites, mealy bugs, scale or white fly.
• It’s a prime month for potting up paperwhites, Amaryllis and other bulbs to “force” to bloom indoors over the winter.   You might stagger a batch every couple of weeks for flowers all winter.  See Kathy Jentz’s article about how to force bulbs.
• For your regular houseplants, be careful not to over-water them over the winter – let the soil dry out between watering.  And unless your indoor plants are growing under high light conditions, don’t fertilize them during the winter months.

Lawn

•  And you can still apply a lawn fertilizer, up until November 15.  After that, it’s illegal to apply fertilizers to lawns and gardens until spring (March 1). This is to reduce fertilizer runoff to the Bay.  Here’s more information about the new fertilizer law.
• Lime can be applied to your lawn any time of the year, including November.
• Don’t let whole leaves accumulate on your turf – they can smother and kill it.  Those leaves are a great source of nutrients and organic matter for your lawn, however – if you just chop them with a mulching mower and allow them to decompose over the fall and winter.
• It’s definitely too late to start grass seed.
• After your final mowing is a great time to take your mower in for service.

Perennials and Borders

• It’s not too late to add pansies to your garden or outdoor pots.
• There’s also still time to plant, divide, or transplant perennials (especially peonies, which should only  be divided in the fall).
• Leave the large seed heads of black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, and native grasses for birds to feed on over the winter. They also add interest to the winter garden, as do nonnative ornamental grasses.  They can all be cut down in late winter, or after a snowstorm has flattened them.
• Other dead seedheads you might want to leave standing are perennials, biennials and annuals that you want to self-sow – or just shake their pods around before removing the remains of the plant.
• Cut back and compost other annuals and perennials after hard frost kills the top foliage.   Just don’t compost foliage from plants that suffered from disease problems this season – like leafspot or other fungal diseases, especially around disease-prone plants like peonies, roses and irises.  Fall clean-up will help to make your garden healthier next year by reducing disease spores and insect eggs, which overwinter in plant material.
• This is a good month to prepare new beds the slow way that avoids the use of a rototiller – by applying cardboard or thick layers of newspaper, with mulch on top.  It’s called the Lasagna  Method and there’s more lots about it online.
• Don’t begin mulching your perennials until after the first hard freeze, usually around mid-November. The mulch should be 2-3 inches deep and surround the plant crowns. Waiting to mulch will help the ground to cool and remain cold during winter.  It can be either a good layer of compost (LeafGro® is excellent natural compost), shredded hardwood or pine mulch.  Don’t use a moisture-trapping mulch like hardwood or compost around lavender, though; pea gravel would work better at keeping the lavender dry.
• Cover any bare soil with mulch or groundcovers, to prevent erosion over the winter.  Fall is an ideal time to add organic matter to your borders by mixing in 6-8 inch layer of leaf compost or well-rotted manure and then covering with a layer of shredded or mulched leaves.

Wildlife:

• It’s not too early to start feeding the birds. You might pick up some unusual birds at the feeder as they move South for the winter.  Click here to read the how-to’s of feeding birds in winter, as reported by our wildlife expert, Natalie Brewer.
• Now’s also a good time to clean all nest boxes and feeders. Scrape and remove debris and scrub with hot, soapy water. Rinse and let dry. Some birds that are cavity nesters such as (chickadees and titmice) may use the nest boxes for roosting during the winter.
• Don’t put your bird bath away. Birds need fresh water for drinking and bathing throughout the fall season. Clean frequently and keep filled with fresh water.
• To provide shelter for wildlife, you can build a brush pile in the corner of your yard or near the edge of a wooded area using your fall trimmings. Brush piles offer winter protection for ground dwelling birds, small mammals, snakes and box turtles.

Pests

• Keep applying deer repellants to your plants – the deer are still hungry. Actually they are more desperate for food than in summer, and they’ll soon be eating azaleas and evergreens unless deterred.
• Hemlocks that look like they are coated with spray-on snow are likely infested with the super-destructive wooly adelgid.  If seen, they should be sprayed with horticultural oil anytime between now and March, provided the temperatures will be above freezing for 24 hours after application. Heavy infestations cause considerable damage or kill trees and should be treated with a registered systemic insecticide. Adelgids are particularly attracted to trees that are fertilized with too much nitrogen.
• Shade trees and shrubs that have had scale problems can be sprayed with horticultural oil after leaves drop. Again, do it when the temperatures will remain above freezing for 24 hours after spraying oil.
• Remove any bagworm bags you see in your trees and shrubs, and dispose of them in the trash.
• Remove any egg masses of the Eastern tent caterpillar by pruning away the branches they’re on.  They look like shiny, black styrofoam and are usually on the ends of wild cherry and crabapple trees.
• Spruce spider mites are active this time of year on evergreen trees.   You can check for them for tapping branches while holding a piece of white paper underneath, then looking for moving specks. They can be controlled with ultra-fine horticultural oil.
• Watch for egg cases of gypsy moths. You may find them in protected areas attached to the house, or on tree trunks or branches. They are oval-shaped, flat, tan, felty,and about the size of a dollar coin. Scrape them into a jar of rubbing alcohol or soapy water.

Miscellaneous

• Drain hoses and bring them indoors for the winter. Winterize outside faucets by cutting the water off to the faucet inside the house (there should be a cutoff on the pipe), then opening the faucet to let any water in the pipe drain out.  If you don’t do this step, your faucets and pipes could freeze and crack over the winter.  Easily.
• Now’s the time to buy seasoned or Kiln-dried fire wood.  Keep it stored away from any wood structure of the house and a minimum of 6 inches off the ground. Check with local codes and/or HOA’s for storage regulations.
• Even the laziest of gardeners can do a “cold compost” pile. Instead of dumping all your leaves at the curb, put them in a big pile in the corner of the yard. By the end of summer next year, they will have decayed for the most part, and you can spread the compost on your garden.

 Paperwhite photo credit.  Cardinal photo credit.  Hose photo credit.  Firewood photo credit.