November Green Ideas

Lime your lawn. A 50# bag of limestone will raise pH about .5 per 1000 square feet.

Apply an anti-dessicant to protect broad-leaf evergreens. It acts as a "chap-stick" for your plants, protecting them from moisture loss due to drying winter winds.

Dormant seed your lawn in the areas where crabgrass has died out.

Shred and compost freshly collected leaves. Alternate layers with the last of the grass clippings from your lawn.

Mulch in rose beds. Cover the bud union with at least 2" of mulch. If using leaf mulch, make sure it is composted. Remove in early spring.

Apply winter fertilizer on lawn after the last mowing. This can be done around the same time as your lime application.

Lift and store all tender bulbs such as dahlias, gladiolus, begonias. This should be done after frost has killed the foliage, but before severe ground frosts. Sever the spent foliage; wash off bulb or tuber and let air dry. Store in a cool, dry place in peat moss or saw dust.