Category: sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife

To Do in the Garden: November 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, bulbs, composting, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, drought tolerant plants, Durham NC, earth-friendly garden pots, fall blooming plants, fall gardening, Garden pests, garden tasks, gardening, Gardening calendar, Gardening information, gardening NC, lawn care, lawns, leaves, monthly garden tasks, nesting bees, nesting insects, Perennial, pollinator gardening, pollinators, pruning, soil samples Durham NC extension, soil test, sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife, sustainable fall pruning for wildlife, sustanability, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

(Left to right) The October surprise, or should we say November surprise, of the ACG is the New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae). Do you still have pumpkins and gourds hanging around through Thanksgiving? Each year an estimated 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins and gourds end up in landfills. Consider adding them to your compost or find a local participating municipality accepting them for donation. See below for more on Earth-friendly ways to deal with your organic decorations post-holiday.1 (Image credit: Dan Mullem CC BY-NC-ND 2.0; Melinda Heigel)

How ‘bout that October? Except for precipitation of any sort, there was something for almost everyone—a little hot, a little cool, and some stereotypical October Piedmont North Carolina, NC State Fair weather. There haven’t been very many State Fairs in my memory without some honest to goodness rain. We’ve been blessed unless, of course, you were trying to grow plants which is sort of what we’re all about here. So, mixed blessings? I mean, as fantastic as this area is, it still ain’t Camelot, Guinevere.


(Left to right) The ACG is still providing blooms this November. The drought-resistant African marigolds prove their hardiness. When planting for fall color, you can count on the New England aster and pink muhly grass to provide late-season interest. (Image credit: Gary Crispell; Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

The Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) is too stubborn to give in to the crazy droughty up and down weather. There are some tough characters out there. The toughest of which must be the gallardia (G. pulchella). It doesn’t know quit. The African marigold (Tagetes erecta) and the zinnias (Z. elegans) are also heat and drought tolerant along with the false vervain (Glandularia bipinnatatifida). (Somebody stayed up late naming that one!)


A delightful surprise this year is a lovely New England aster (Symphotrichum novae-angliae). It isn’t as erect as I might be as it was crowded in amongst some other things, and I didn’t become aware of its existence until recently. Next year. Most of the hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum) have succumbed to the drought and the shorter days. There are a couple of late-to-the-party purple cone flowers (Echinacea purpurea) and a stray black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta). The muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) are looking a little thin and wispy, but I attribute that to it being the first year in the ground for them. Enough about my garden, let’s talk about what we can do in yours in November.

Lawn Care

Well, if your lawn has survived “No Moisture November” the main task for November is keeping it relatively leaf free. Whatever your remove from the lawn should be composted or used as mulch. The leaves do not belong in the landfill (or the ditch out front, for that matter). Cool season lawns (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) will still need mowing at the 3½” to 4” height.

The leaf admonishment pertains here, also. If you renovated/overseeded your lawn this fall it will need watering until the drought is done with us. 1” per week minimum applied in two ½” applications is necessary to keep it going.

Fertilizing

Not this month. If your (FREE until the end of November here in NC) SOIL TEST indicates a need to raise the pH, apply the appropriate the proper amount of lime and incorporate it into the soil if possible. Lime doesn’t readily move through the soil and incorporating the lime gets to the roots where it is needed.

Planting: Yes, “Fall is for Planting”

Trees, shrubs, and ground covers planted now will have all winter and early spring to put down roots in order to better withstand next year’s drought periods. (They’re coming. Trust me.) Spring flowering bulbs can still be planted until the end of the month. Year-old asparagus crowns can be transplanted now.

Pruning

So, for years (decades, centuries?) pruning all the perennials back as the blossoms faded (Grandma kept a tidy garden!) has been gardening gospel. Well, that good news is now obsolete news. It seems that solitary native bees and other pollinators lay their eggs on/in and/or nest in those stems for the winter. So, cutting them is detrimental to the pollinator population. Ergo, don’t do it anymore (unless the HOA is going to place a lien on your house for leaving them unpruned). (I don’t suppose the “It’s winter interest”, argument will get you anywhere.) Dead or diseased wood can be removed from trees and shrubs. Make any cuts at the branch collar (flared end) to promote healing of the wound.

Spraying

Any pests still hanging around can be treated with an application of a horticultural oil that will smother adults, eggs, and all phases in between.

Other Fun-filled and/or Fantastic Fall Frolics

Take a leaf hike through somebody’s neighborhood or a state or city park. There is a plethora of opportunities nearby.


Invite friends and neighbors over for an evening around the fire pit. S’mores, hot
chocolate, cider, and donuts are about mandatory. Anything else is optional.

Do anything else you can think of to get yourself outdoors to enjoy these last user-friendly days of 2024.

(Image credit: Pixabay)

May you have Thanksgiving bountiful enough to share.

Notes

1–Eco-friendly ways to dispose of pumpkins and gourds after the holidays: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2021-10-08-dealing-pumpkins-after-halloween-debunking-social-media-advice

Resources and Additional Information

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To Do in the Garden: October 2024

On By durhammastergardenersIn Accidental Cottage Garden, azalea lace bugs, bees, beneficial insects, bulbs, cankerworm mitigation, cankerworms, composting, container gardening, cover crops, dealing with fall leaves on lawn, fall cover crops, fall gardening, fall vegetable gardening, forcing bulbs indoors, native bee habitat, nesting bees, nesting insects, soil samples Durham NC extension, sustainable fall pruning for insects and wildlife, sustainable fall pruning for wildlife, tree banding in the fall, tulips, Uncategorized

By Gary Crispell, NC State Extension Master GardenerSM volunteer of Durham County

While the Accidental Cottage Garden (ACG) took a hit from all the rain, the blooms of the zinnia (Z. elegans) and gaillarda (G. pulchella) still delight with punches of color. Scene from the late-season and very soggy ACG. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Gary Crispell)

And suddenly it’s October. When and how did that happen? Although, I’m pretty sure I got here by boat. Hopefully, the three-month monsoon season is over, but we could still get another gift from the tropics. (Someone needs to do something about the butterflies in West Africa.) 

The rain gauge indicated 12 inches for September. The last time I remember anywhere near that amount was in 1996, when our dear, yet very angry friend, Fran, visited for a harrowing overnight stay. 

The Accidental Cottage Garden is bowed but not broken. Everything is beaten down and bent over. Kinda looks like myriad ground covers gone berserk. However, in the tangles, one can find an assortment of delightful blooms. Zinnias (Z. elegans), African marigolds (Tagetes erecta), mock vervain (Glandularia bipinnatifida), plucky gaillardia (G. pulchella), evening primrose (Oenothera lamarckiana), Autumn Joy sedum (S. ‘Herbstfreude’), hardy ageratum (Conoclinium coelestinum), and two volunteer cosmos (C. bipinnata) are doing their best to overcome the odds and keep the neighbors smiling. 

So, what’s going on in your garden? Perhaps you’ll find something useful or amusing (or amusingly useful) in here this month (or not). Either way, let’s garden. 

LAWN CARE

Attempt to prevent leaf accumulation on lawns, especially newly seeded or overseeded ones. And be sure those receive adequate moisture. (Yeah, I know. Really?!?) About those leaves, please compost them or put them into a natural area. They do not belong in the landfill. Continue mowing cool-season grasses (tall fescue, bluegrass, perennial rye) at 3 ½” to 4.”

FERTILIZING

Not much to see (or do) here, folks. Drop some fertilizer on the spring-flowering bulb beds. 10-10-10 or equivalent will do just fine. Work it into the soil where possible. Store any leftover fertilizer in sealed containers in a dry location until next season. 

PLANTING

(Left to right) Pansies brighten up the shorter autumn days. Tulip and pansy pot planted in the fall. The pansies were joyous for 3 long seasons: fall, winter, as well as in the spring when the tulips also came into their own. (Image credit: Melinda Heigel and Marcia Kirinus)

“FALL IS FOR PLANTING,” repeated…again. Things planted now will have most of the winter to put down roots and get established so they’ll be ready for another Sonoran June. Consider planting a cover crop on any part of the veggie garden not growing a fall crop. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) or winter rye (Secale cereale) will keep the soil intact and add nutrients to it.

Plant spring-flowering bulbs (tulips, daffodils, narcissus, etc.) this month. Plant salad greens and short-season root crops (carrots, radishes) in a cold frame. Do something nice for yourself and plant pansies. A pot full of their smiling faces can do a lot to lift the gloom of a day when it’s 34 degrees and raining. Caveat: deer LOVE them.

PRUNING

Wait until it gets cold (post-killing frost) and intends to remain that way for a bit. The goal is to avoid any new growth attempting an emergence until spring. Cutting back everything in the perennial garden is something your grandmother did but is no longer considered “best practices.” Apparently, there are solitary native bees that lay eggs on or overwinter in the stems of said perennials. Your grandmother didn’t tell you because she didn’t know. Somebody with a great deal of intellect, curiosity, and, quite frankly, an amazing amount of time on their hands figured this out in the not-too-distant past (post-grandma period). So, DON’T cut back your perennials unless the HOA is fixin’ to put a lien on your house. Chances are an HOA wouldn’t let you plant perennials (aka, weeds) in your yard to begin with. They—the stems, not the HOA—are better left until spring. Root prune any trees or shrubs you plan on moving in the spring. Have you noticed that most of fall is spent preparing for spring? That’s what the plant kingdom does. Those of us in the animal world get ready for winter. Plants have their eyes on the future. 

Close up of the rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), an example of a hollow-stemmed plant that provides valuable over-winter habitat for nesting insects. This photo shows the stems after cutting in the spring once insects may have emerged. Other plants with hollow stems include anise hyssop, bluestar, milkweed, tall tickseed, and pink muhly grass, among others. Pithy-stemmed plants like purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) provide habitat for some bees who use pith to build their nests. (Image credit: Debbie Roos)

SPRAYING

Most of the pesky little &*@$# have gone to sleep for the winter. There are two notable exceptions: lace bugs on azaleas (especially those in full or mostly sun) and scale on euonymus and camellias. Both can be treated with horticultural oil. It smothers the adults and their eggs. 

Damage caused by azalea lace bug, Stephanitis pyrioides (Scott). (Image credit: James. L. Castner, University of Florida)

PROPAGATION

Some of you are starting plants from cuttings. Maybe even in a cold frame that doesn’t have veggies planted in it. Be sure to monitor it at least bi-weekly for health and vigor. Water as necessary. 

Other amazingly fun stuff to fill whatever “perfect October days” we may be granted by whomever is in charge of such things:

Take soil samples while they are FREE through November. Sample collection boxes and instructions are available from the Durham County Extension office at 721 Foster St. or from the NCDOACS.

Repeating: compost any leaves you gather up. Sending them to the landfill is a definite no-no.

Cleanse the bird feeder(s), fill ‘em up, and put ‘em out. Sit back and watch. It’s therapeutic.

Prepare all your lawn and garden equipment for its long winter’s nap.

if you band your trees to mitigate the number of insect larvae that might feed on your trees in the summer (and whose digestive tracts are highly inefficient, causing copious quantities of worm feces to accumulate on whatever is under said trees—a friend told me about this), now is the time to do this (if you remember what “this” is after the mid-paragraph digression).

Sticky bands capture female moths who will begin crawling up tree trunks in the fall to mate and lay eggs that will hatch into the small caterpillars we call Cankerworms. In the spring, these hungry caterpillars emerge and eat the leaves of hardwood trees in urban areas and can be a threat to tree health and mortality. Some experts recommend waiting until all the leaves have fallen before banding. (Image credit: William A. Carothers, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.)

For a glimpse of spring in the bleak midwinter, try forcing spring-flowering bulbs. Daffodils and narcissus are good candidates for this exercise. Plant the bulbs in pots early in October and put them in the refrigerator. This assumes that you have a huge refrigerator and no teenagers in the house. In 12 weeks (Happy New Year!), remove them and set them in a sunny window where you can watch them grow and bloom. Fun! Kids get a kick out of it.

Paperwhite narcissus bulbs forced for indoor bloom. (Image credit: University of Florida/IFAS Extension and Cornell Cooperative Extension)

Bask in the beauty of the season when the leaves show off their true colors without the chlorophyll mask they have worn all summer. We may have to do that close to home this year. The mountains are closed until further notice. Sad. It’s the beginning of fire pit season. ‘Nuff said. Enjoy it, y’all! 

Resources and Additional Information

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