Hill City Master Gardeners
Association
Gardening Tips for November
Roses – November/December is the time to prune back the long canes on your roses so the wind doesn’t whip them around. Cut off spent flowers and dead or diseased wood. Clean up the leaf debris from around the plants to slow down disease next year.
Mulch – Mulch for winter after the soil has cooled or frozen. Mulching too early delays plant dormancy. If you have had problems with voles, be sure to leave a few inches of bare ground around the trunks of trees. Even mature trees can be damaged by these rodents.
Fertilize – Wait until deciduous trees and shrubs begin to drop their leaves before fertilizing . . . .
Focus on Natives
Now that the rain has stopped, and I can get out in my garden again, I am enjoying the Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), a native perennial which is sometimes called “wild ageratum” which it resembles. I’ve been waiting all summer to see it bloom, and now that fall is here, it is in its glory, providing abundant nectar for butterflies as they take in food to prepare for migrating or overwintering. The photo here shows an American Lady butterfly relaxing on a mound of blue mistflower in my garden.
Blue Mistflower
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Blue mistflower likes full sun but will do well in part shade also. It prefers moist soil, but mine survived the summer’s drought with only maybe two or three waterings from me. My native garden has a healthy layer of accumulated leaves also, which serve as mulch and help retain moisture in the soil.
Early in the season, well before bloom time, this plant was browsed by the neighborhood deer, but recovered well, and looks great now in October, at about three feet tall. It is supposed to be an aggressive plant, spreading through abundant seed production and rhizomes. Mine is at least twice the size it was last year! I will be dividing this one when it emerges in early spring. My native garden is ever-expanding, so I’m glad to have a good spreader.
Some older references to this plant classify it as a Eupatorium, but recent phylogenetic studies have indicated the genus should be divided, and it is now classified with Conoclinium. It is native to about 50% of North America, the eastern and central portion. Several other species of Conoclinium are native to Texas, Mexico, and the southwestern U.S.
FESTIVAL OF GARDENING
The 2024 Festival of Gardening, our annual plant sale and celebration of all things gardening, was a smashing success. The rain held off just long enough for crowds of plant shoppers to find their favorite tomato variety or a sought-after native plant. Thousands of plants went to new homes. We can’t wait to do it again next year!
SAVE THE DATE!
FOG 2025
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Virginia Master Gardeners are volunteer educators who work within their communities to encourage and promote environmentally sound horticulture practices through sustainable landscape management education and training. As an educational program of Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Master Gardeners bring the resources of Virginia’s land-grant universities, Virginia Tech and Virginia State University, to the people of the commonwealth. All information we disseminate must be research-based by VT/VSU.
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Available at HCMGA events and project sites, and at the Community Market Information Booth.
Cooler AUTUMN days have arrived and the lush growth of summer is beginning to ebb. A time for harvest, it’s also time to plant bulbs in anticipation of Spring. As leaves begin to fall new beauty emerges.
There is always something new to see as the garden transforms through the seasons. Whether planning the next season’s planting, moving the garden indoors, or shifting to maintenance projects, there’s always lots to learn and lots to do. A garden gives back everything that you put into it.
What’s next for your garden?
Our next Master Gardener Training Class will start in February. Information and the online Application are available now on our Become a Master Gardener page. The Training Schedule is available for download here.
In the Garden This Month
NOVEMBER
Gardening Tips for November
Roses - November/December is the time to prune back the long canes on your roses so the wind doesn't whip them around. Cut off spent flowers and dead or diseased wood. Clean up the leaf debris from around the plants to slow down disease next year.
Mulch - Mulch for winter after the soil has cooled or frozen. Mulching too early delays plant dormancy. If you have had problems with voles, be sure to leave a few inches of bare ground around the trunks of trees. Even mature trees can be damaged by these rodents.
Fertilize - Wait until deciduous trees and shrubs begin to drop their leaves before fertilizing them. Roots are active until soil temperature drops below 40 degrees, so nutrients will be taken up for a stronger root system.
Trees/Shrubs - If you see browning or leaf drop on white pines, yews, arborvitae or junipers, don't be concerned as it is an annual event. Same thing with azaleas, leaf drop at this time of year is normal.
Winter Protection - Young maples and other trees with smooth bark may suffer "southwest disease"/"sun scald" - bark injury caused by extreme temperature fluctuations on the southwest side of the trunk. Commercial paper or plastic tree wraps installed in November will effectively prevent this problem, but must be removed in early spring when temperatures are more constant. Pots and garden ornaments made of terra-cotta can absorb moisture and then shatter in a hard freeze. Bring them into a covered shed or basement.
Winter Care of Nursery Stock - Plants propagated and in containers may be protected in the winter by sinking container and all in garden soil or leaving on top of the ground surrounded with leaves piled to top of pot.
A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. – Doug Larson.
