Planning

• Have soil tested at a local cooperative extension service to determine pH and nutritional levels

Chores and Maintenance

• Continue to thoroughly water trees, shrubs, lawn areas and planting beds until ground freezes
• Complete removal of fallen leaves and debris to protect from overwintering of insects and disease organisms
• Cut back perennials to 4-5", but leave ornamental grasses to provide winter interest until spring
• Mulch boxwood and broad-leaved evergreens before ground freezes
• Mulch flower beds to keep soil temperature stable and prevent winter injury from frost heaving
• Provide burlap windbreaks for boxwood and broad-leaved evergreens. Install stakes before ground freezes
• Protect trees from mouse damage with wire mesh trunk guards
• Protect shrubs from deer with burlap or netting
• Mow lawn one final time to a height of 1½-2"
• Aerate soil around rose roots and hill up the earth 10-12" around the crown after a heavy frost
• Continue to feed birds

Planting

• Continue to plant deciduous trees and shrubs until the ground freezes
• Complete planting spring-flowering bulbs
• Propagate deciduous shrubs such as hydrangea, viburnum, and weigela; and evergreens such as ilex, juniperus, and taxus
• Pot hardy spring bulbs for indoor forcing

Pruning/Fertilizing

• Fertilize trees and shrubs before the ground freezes so that food is available to plants in early spring
• Incorporate lime and fertilizer in the annual and vegetable gardens for next growing season
• Complete pruning of late-blooming trees and shrubs
• Prune early spring-flowering shrubs only to remove diseased or damaged branches to preserve buds

Indoors

• Give houseplants as much light as possible as lower light days begin
• Continue to let up on fertilizing indoor plants until spring
• Provide houseplants with increased humidity; mist often or place plants over a tray of moist pebbles
• Pot up prepared bulbs for indoor forcing
• Begin to increase the time between waterings but do not cut back on the amount of water