CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The leaves are changing and starting to fall so many of you could be wrapping up yard work for the season… but hold up there are still some things you can do NOW that will benefit your yard.
“Don’t sleep on gardening in the month of November”
According to Pike Nursery, one of the best things we should be doing right now is laying fresh mulch!
“You want to refresh your mulch. Take away any mulch that is tired and worn out. Anything that may be showing signs of rot.”
The reason why mulching is so important because it's an insulator for your plants. You want it to be about 2-3 inches down around your plants and trees to help them survive into Winter.
It’s also not too late to plant.
Two great options right now are the Camellia and the Abelias.
Camelias are evergreen shrubs and they are going to bloom anytime fall through the winter. They come in different colors and can be quite gorgeous.
Above is the Kaleidoscope Abelia. This time of year they will turn kind of like an orangey color and it also can have a few white blooms on it.
Need a pop of color? Two great options to make this Fall more vibrant are pansies and violas.
“These are great bedding options and these are going to last all the way through the holidays into the springtime. They like cold weather” tells Kayla Smith with Pike Nursery.
Lastly… If you placed any plants outside like palms, banana trees, or ferns such as the Kimberly and the Boston fern… those need to be brought inside because they usually don’t do well with temps below 50 degrees.
NOTE FROM PIKE:
Most of the plants, if they are annuals (think petunias, vinca, calibrachoa) have already died down, or if they are perennials (come back every year – think echinacea, black-eyed susans) are going dormant by now. Most landscape plants will be fine as they are meant to stay in the landscape year-round. Some are deciduous (lose their leaves come winter - hydrangeas, roses, etc) and others are evergreen (maintain leaves all year and bloom at certain times – camellias, gardenias, etc.)
Temps look mild into mid-November so it is early November that is perfect to make some last-minute updates to your yard before winter settles in.