• Prune and thin plants to enhance plant form 
• Complete pruning of late-blooming trees and shrubs 
• Mulch perennials, bulb beds after first freeze to protect from the soil thawing and refreezing - use salt hay, straw, pine needles, leaves, branches of Christmas trees 
• Protect roses by mounding soil and adding organic mulch - straw or chopped leaves 
• Mulch rhododendrons, azaleas, and laurel with oak leaves or leaf mold 
• Water dogwood, broadleaf evergreens and newly planted trees until ground freezes 
• Finish moving tender biennials and perennials to cold frame (pansies, English daisies, and campanulas)
• Rake leaves off lawn areas and start a compost pile
• Provide winter protection to newly planted shrubs to prevent desiccation 
• Protect broadleaved evergreens by applying an anti-desiccant spray to the foliage and/or wrap in burlap
• Use a broom to knock off heavy snow from shrubs

• Evergreens, deciduous trees and shrubs until ground freezes 
• Tulips and lily bulbs until ground freeze 
• In early November, start forcing bulbs indoors for the holidays (amaryllis, paperwhites) they take several weeks to bloom

Pest Control

• Watch for vole activity; voles are most active October to March
• Monitor houseplants over the winter for spider mite and mealybug 

• Think about last season's garden - how it evolved and matured. 
• Begin planning improvements by adding new plantings to enhance the garden staples with a variety of colors, textures, and sizes. 
• Also try to include some new and unusual plants as featured in the new seed/plant catalog