Video - Planting Tulip Bulbs
October was another exceptionally warm and dry month for us here in the Ohio River Valley. We had no rain the last 15 days of the month (the longest stretch of the year) and total rainfall for October was less than an inch, making it one of the driest Octobers in the last 100 years. I may sound like a broken record at this point, but I encourage you to keep up with watering your plants during this dry time. It is especially important for spring blooming shrubs, like azaleas. If they don’t have enough moisture going into the winter, the flower buds will fall off the plant next spring leaving you without their colorful April show.
In addition to removing spent annuals and digging Caladium, Canna Lily, and Elephant Ear bulbs for storage, I’ve been busy learning how to create gardening videos. November is prime time for planting tulip bulbs, so I’m attaching a video I created to show you how to get the job done. If you have had problems with squirrels digging your tulip bulbs in the past, I recommend placing a layer of chicken wire on top of the soil and covering it with mulch. When the leaves begin to emerge next spring, remove the chicken wire.
In addition to planting tulip bulbs, please find below a list of items for you to work on this month.
November Garden Tasks
November is also the time to dig, divide, and store your tender bulbs for the winter. These include cannas, dahlias, elephant ears, and caladiums. I’ve also created a new video explaining how you should store these tropical bulbs to ensure they’re ready to plant next spring.
Now is also your last chance to move any perennials which may have outgrown their current space. I recommend watering the plant and removing most of the foliage before you make the move. If the plant is really large, you can also use your shovel to divide the plant and increase your stock. Place the plants in freshly dug holes so the roots are at the same level as their previous home.
Clean your garden tools for the season, so they are ready for spring. Clean, sharpen, and oil all the blades and moving parts of your shears and pruners.
Clean and bring inside any of your frost sensitive terra cotta pots. I lost several nice Tuscan pots last year when I forgot to do this. After a rain followed by a hard freeze, the pots froze to the ground and the bottom of the pots completely shattered.
Start feeding the birds. By November, birds have eaten most of the naturally available seeds and berries, so they will appreciate a source of food to help sustain them over the next four to five months. Watching songbirds like cardinals from your kitchen table is one of the pleasures of winter.
If you have the space in your garden, I recommend you rake your leaves together, mow them into smaller pieces, and place them in a mound to create leaf mold over the winter. They make a great home for overwintering beneficial insects and will make a wonderful soil enhancer for your garden next spring.
