Need help planting a successful garden or landscape? Here are some November planting tips from the Dallas Arboretum horticulture staff and the Dallas County Master Gardeners that can help keep your home garden looking beautiful this Fall, whilst having it ready for Winter and set up for success in Spring!
Planting:
- – Begin refrigerator chilling of tulips and Dutch hyacinths (about 8 weeks) in preparation for late December to early January planting.
- – Plant daffodils from late October to mid-November.
- – Plant pansies, flowering kale and cabbage, dianthus, cyclamen, violas for fall color as the weather cools at the end of the month.
- – Plant cool season fescue grass by mid-month or overseed established fescue lawns if needed. If you choose to overseed a Bermuda lawn with winter ryegrass, do so by mid-month.
- – Divide and re-plant ground covers like liriope and mondo grass, as well as new ground covers.
- – Select and plant shrubs and trees, especially those that are grown for fall foliage, while fall color is visible. Late October is an excellent time for planting shrubs and hardy perennials, although it’s best to wait until the winter dormant season for planting shade trees, or transplanting large woody shrubs or ornamental trees such as crape myrtles. You can plant trees and shrubs now while they are becoming dormant so they can establish roots during winter. An application of root stimulator will help get them started. Transplant trees and shrubs in your landscape now. Give them a large enough root ball when transplanting to avoid root damage.
- – October to January is the time to plant trees and shrub that are ‘balled & burlap’.
- – Plant cilantro, garlic, leaf lettuce, parsley, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
Pruning:
- – Prune dead wood from trees and shrubs, but wait until the dormant season for major re-shaping. Tidy the garden by removing spent summer annuals, pruning dead bloom spikes off warm season perennials, and re-shaping overgrown perennials later in the season.
- – Prune back fall-blooming perennials to produce healthy, bushy plants next spring.
Plant Care:
- – Watch for scale insects on ornamental plants such as euonymus, hollies, gardenias, and camellias, and treat as necessary. – — Watch for brown patch in St. Augustine lawns and control with fungicide as necessary.
- – Fertilize established fescue lawns according to soil test recommendations.
- – Fertilize annual color with a complete, water soluble fertilizer.
– Dig and divide spring blooming perennials now so their roots can get established before spring. - – As the weather cools, bring potted tropicals and houseplants inside, inspect for insects which could multiply rapidly indoors.
– Mulch new plantings to help retain moisture and insulate roots against cold temperatures.
– Gather leaves regularly as they drop, as a thick leaf layer on lawns can promote insects and diseases and delay winter dormancy. Add excess leaves to the compost pile or shred leaves and use as mulch in beds.
* It is important to know that the average date of the first freeze in Dallas county is November 21st – 30th
Sources and more gardening resources:
Monthly Gardening Tips – Dallas County Master Gardener Association (dallascountymastergardeners.org)
Gardening Resources and Tips | Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden
Gardening & Landscaping – Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service (tamu.edu)
Fall and Winter Color for North Texas – Covingtons (covingtonnursery.com)