November in the Garden:
Must-Dos and Decorating Ideas

By Jens Molbak
For The Woodinville Weekly, November 2009

For many, falling leaves signal quieter times ahead for gardeners. But don’t hang up your gloves just yet. Here are some important autumn must-dos and decorating ideas that will help you prep for next spring and showcase this amazing season, indoors and out.

“Nature keeps us pretty busy this time of year,” says Michael Smith, garden store manager at Molbak’s.  “But there’s a big payoff in the year ahead.”

Removing leaves should be top priority, Smith says, with a goal of finishing cleanup tasks by Thanksgiving. He waits until all the leaves are down in his yard and says raking once works for him but others might want to spread out the task. He warns gardeners to be careful when lifting piles of wet leaves and suggests using tarps when shifting heavy loads to avoid injury.  

Smith prefers metal spring rakes to gather leaves. “They do a better job of thoroughly cleaning, they last longer and they’re available in different sizes.”

What to do with all those leaves? Put them in yard-waste bins or make compost. 

“Leaves that fall at this time of year shouldn’t be left on lawns and gardens past November because they can spread plant diseases, but they’re great for compost that will be ready next year,” Smith says.

Here are the three essential ingredients for compost: leaves; green lawn cuttings or steer manure or compost mix; and bacteria from plant or food debris. Details on composting are available online from the Washington State Extension Service: http://gardening.wsu.edu/stewardship/compost/yardcomp/yardcomp.htm

More tips from Smith:

• After disposing of fallen leaves, inspect each plant. “Look for fungus spots and prune dead or unwanted branches.”
• Remove yellow and dead leaves from roses to help prevent black spot next spring. Wait until spring to prune roses.
• Prune fruit or flowering trees after the leaves have fallen.
• Smash carved Halloween pumpkins before adding to the compost pile so they break down quickly. 
• Shop for camellias in November because many varieties are about to bloom and nurseries have a good selection.

For Judy Dai, a member of the Molbak’s visual design team, the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are a time to incorporate warmer scents and colors into your décor. Thinking past Halloween, Dai scouts for bright-colored branches to mix with pumpkins, gourds, leaves and candles for front-porch and interior displays. She especially likes yellow and red twig dogwoods and contorted filberts, also known as Harry Lauder’s walking stick. 

When it comes to creating autumn bouquets and centerpieces, Dai reminds us that kids love to help. In fact, Dai says she uses whatever her grandchildren gather, weeds and all.  “It’s always fun to see what materials they envision going into a bouquet.”

To complete the seasonal shift, Dai suggests changing doormats, kitchen towels and table linens to fall colors, and switching from summery florals to the spicy scents of autumn in candles, potpourri and diffusers.

For Dai, it’s the little things that make a big difference, and I couldn’t agree more. 

Happy Gardening … indoors and out!
Jens

Jens Molbak and his wife, Blair, own Molbak’s in Woodinville. He can be reached at jmolbak@molbaks.com. More information on gardening is at www.molbaks.com.