outdoors NOVEMBER

GARD

ENER

th

now

things to do

— and reap

rewards later

Before throwing in the trowel this

fall, be sure to do the following.

Tidy up veggie gardens

Remove all plant debris. You’ll

reduce next season’s pests, weeds,

and diseases.

■ Protect batteries

Rechargeable tool batteries are

expensive to replace. To get more

life from them, store them indoors

through winter. Check

the owner’s manual

for directions.

Store summer bulbs

After

frost, dig up and store canna,

above,

caladium, and other summer

bulbs. Keep the cleaned, dry bulbs

in peat moss or sawdust in a cool

(but not freezing) garage or base-

ment. Next year, the plants will be

bigger, more beautiful— and free.

Take cuttings

Many tender

garden plants, such as coleus,

left,

geranium, rosemary, and impatiens

can be rooted in water, then

potted and overwintered on a

sunny windowsill. Move them

outdoors again in spring to enjoy

them for another season.

T e l l

u s

w

h a t v o u

t h i n k

DO YOU PLANT BULBS IN THE FALL?

We’d love to know how spring-flowering bulbs fit into your

autumn gardening activities. Visit

BHG.com/fallbulbs

and fill us

in on your bulb-planting plans this year.

TH IS MONTH

IN THE GARDEN

north

Still haven’t

planted those fall bulbs you

ordered? Don’t delay. Get them

into the ground before the soil

freezes. Dig a planting hole

about three times the height

of the bulb, and water them

after planting.

deadhead roses after their last

flush of blooms this fall, but

hold off on hard pruning until

late winter. Rake up and

remove leaves and old blooms

to reduce disease next year.

W

D

l Newly seeded

or sodded lawns need extra

moisture until established.

In the absence of rain, water

regularly.

1 3 2

NOVEMBER

2009

BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS

continued on page

136

PHOTOS: (CANNA TUBERS, COLEUS CUTTING) BLAINE MOATS; (BULB PLANTING) PETE KRUMHARDT; (DEADHEADING ROSES) MARTY BALDWIN; (SPRINKLER) ADAM ALBRIGHT