Gardeners Checklist: Here Is What to Do on the Week of Nov. 25

By Ron Kujawski

* Wait until the ground has frozen before applying mulches to soil around roses, perennials, and woody plants.  Coarse textured mulch such as pine boughs or oak leaves should be used over herbaceous perennials.  Hay, maple leaves, and other mulch materials that tend to compress should be avoided since they could smother the crowns of plants.  That’s not an issue with woody plants but do be careful not to pile mulch up against the stems or trunks of these plants. If we should get deep snow before the ground freezes, don’t worry about mulching. Mother Nature will have taken care of that task for us.

* Dig a hole if planning to get a living Christmas tree.  Store soil from the hole in a location where it will not freeze. It will be needed to backfill when the tree is placed outdoors after Christmas.  Also, place a sheet of plywood or some boards over the hole to keep snow from filling in the hole.  If buying a living Christmas tree now, leave it outdoors in a protected location or an unheated garage. If brought indoors too soon, it may break dormancy.

* Move houseplants to a brighter location if they are getting a little leggy or if their leaves look pale.  If natural light is lacking, place the plants under fluorescent lights.

* Buy some cyclamen.  These plants will bloom all winter if kept cool and given bright light.

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My mother often used a saying when I put more food on my plate than I could eat: “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”   In the decades since I think I’ve overcome that malady.  However, that adage has been replaced by another: “Your eyes are bigger than your garden.”  Loading excessive amounts of food on my plate has been replaced by my tendency to obtain more plants than I can find ready space for.  As such, there are always a few perennials or shrubs still sitting in their pots in late fall, waiting for me to find them a home in the garden.  I’ve been lucky this year in that it has been so mild the ground is not yet frozen.  So, I have two options: one, find a permanent home in the landscape for these plants and set them out, followed by an application of protective mulch, or, two, heel in the plants in the vegetable garden for the winter and then find them a home next spring. Heeling in plants is a simple procedure.  Simply dig a V-shaped trench that’s a little deeper than the height of the largest rootball.  Remove each plant from its container, being careful not to break apart the ball of soil around the roots. Then, lay the rootballs at a forty-five-degree angle into the trench and cover them with soil or compost.  Tamp down the soil around the rootballs and apply water if the soil is dry.  After the soil has thawed in spring, dig up the rootballs and move the plants to their designated location in the landscape. In the future when eyeing plants that you must “absolutely have”, squint.

Ron Kujawski began gardening at an early age on his family's onion farm in upstate New York. Although now retired, he spent most of his career teaching at the UMass Extension Service. He serves on Berkshire Botanical Garden’s Horticulture Advisory Committee. His book, Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook, is available here.