by BRIAN MINTER
November 8, 2004

Flower Gardens:

Cool weather and the odd, heavy rainfall have taken their toll on the majority of garden annuals. They will make great compost, but removing them will leave your garden looking rather bare. Winter colour plants, such as winter pansies; evergreen perennials like heucheras, euphorbias, bergenias and winter heathers; and ornamental carex grasses, set out now, will add new life and provide much needed colour to your winterscape. Groupings of beautiful winter-flowering kale and cabbage, placed here and there in your garden and close to your walkways, also make a tremendous improvement in your winter colour. Planting in groups of threes, fives or sevens and contrasting blocks of bright colours, like yellow, with more pastel shades creates the most pleasing effect.

Now is the ideal time to plant your fall bulbs. Plant them in groupings in well- drained soil at a depth of two and a half times the diameter of the bulb. With proper planning, you can time your spring bulbs to bloom in sequence from January through June. Gladiola corms and begonia tubers can now be lifted, but wait for a frost to blacken the foliage on cannas and dahlias before you lift these tubers.

Vegetable Gardens:

Many late vegetables can stay in the garden for winter harvesting. These include turnips, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, kale, Swiss chard and the new series of winter vegetables. If you do not have proper vegetable storage, you can place a thick mulch of peat moss or bark over your root crops and leave them in the ground as long as possible.

Fall is a great time to add compost to your garden, and there is still time to plant fall rye or Winter Rejuvenation Mix for invaluable green manure in the spring. You might also wish to add more fir or hemlock sawdust or bark mulch to your garden to improve the drainage next year.

Lawns:

Cut your lawns lower at this time of year to allow more air circulation in and around the root system. This can prevent many disease problems. Please aerate now and top dress with one-quarter inch of sharp sand. To prevent moss from taking over your lawn, maintain a good level of fertility by adding a controlled-release, high nitrogen fertilizer like ‘25-3-7’ and apply Dolomite or Dolopril lime to prevent acidic soil. It is too late now to seed new lawns.

Trees and Shrubs:

October is the best time to plant most evergreens, fruit trees, shade and flowering trees and shrubs. They are now becoming dormant and, once planted, they will immediately form new roots. By spring they will have well established root systems and put on a full year's growth. Evergreen hedges, planted now, will provide a good windbreak for cold winter winds, protect more tender plants and provide privacy. For winter colour, plant viburnum ‘Pink Dawn’, winter flowering camellias, Chinese witch hazel, winter flowering jasmine and some of the many berried plants, including holly.

These are all little things that can make a huge difference in your garden this winter and all next  year.