10 Gardening Activities for November in the Pacific Northwest

1. Take Care of Your Leaves

Leaves are a gardener’s friend. Though they may look intimidating to clean up when your lawn or garden beds are overflowing, they provide nutrients that keep soil healthy. For leaf cleanup, you also don’t have to do as much work as you may think—leaves in garden beds can be left to decompose naturally. They will restore nutrients to the soil and provide habitat for beneficial insects. If leaves are covering or piling over plants, rake them into a pile. You should also rake leaves that have piled up on your lawn. Once in large piles, put leaves in a leaf mulcher or shredder. Shredded leaves can be sprinkled onto garden beds or added to the compost bin. If you have larger branches or twigs, then use a wood chipper as woody pieces can destroy a leaf shredder.

2. Clean Up Around Fruit Trees

If you have fruit that has fallen to the ground, remove and dispose of it; this will help prevent disease and pest issues. It’s also a good idea to keep weeds and grasses around your trees at a minimum to prevent pest from making nests, so mow or weed as needed. Apply a layer of compost surrounding the orchard to replenish nutrients. Learn how to make you own compost.

3. Protect Young Trees & Shrubs

Protect young trees and shrubs in cold weather. There are a number of potential dangers including freezing winds, snow or ice damage, and rodents eating through the trunk or eating bark on other parts of the tree. Building a wind screen can help protect plants from the winter weather. To build a screen, install several tall stakes on the side of the tree that gets the brunt of the wind. Attach gardening burlap to the stakes. You can also cover trees with tree protection wraps or frost blankets if they are particularly sensitive or young. To protect against rodents, install tree guards.

4. Dig Up Dahlias

Gardeners have differing opinions on when’s the best time to dig up dahlias before winter. Floret, a well-known flower farmer in the Pacific Northwest that grows beautiful dahlias, digs theirs up in early November. After the foliage has died back, they remove the tubers using just a shovel. Read more about how Floret digs their dahlias and stores them for winter.

5. Clean, Repair & Store Tools

When the season is complete, clean your tools before storing them. Many tools take a beating from early spring until fall, but with a good annual refresh they can last for years. Wash tools with soap and water to remove dirt. Use a wire brush to remove dirt that’s stuck. For tools with blades, disinfect the blade using rubbing alcohol (this will help prevent disease). It’s also wise to sharpen loppers, shears, pruners, and snips with a sharpening tool (watch this video to learn how). Metal shovels, spades, and hoes can also be sharpened—use a file for this. If you have wood-handled tools, sand down rough spots on the wood and apply a coat of linseed oil. Read more about seasonal garden tool care and maintenance.

6. Plant Indoor Bulbs

Bring those beautiful bulbs indoors and plant them in a favorite pot. Just make sure the bulbs you use are pre-chilled—many bulbs need a certain number of chilling hours. You can chill bulbs yourself be placing them in a refrigerator drawer for the required time, or you can buy pre-chilled bulbs online from suppliers such as Brent and Becky's Bulbs.

7. Clean & Refresh Houseplants

Give your houseplants a little extra pampering this month as you head into winter. Look for signs of disease or infestation such as mealy bugs, brown scale, aphids, or spider mites. You can read more about the common houseplant pests and how to get rid of them at Pistils Nursery. It’s also good to clean your houseplants’ leaves using a wet rag. You may also want to add some fertilizer to the soil. If you’re looking to refresh your collection of houseplants, there are a number of suppliers to turn to, like Breck's, Gardener's Supply, Burpee, and Pistils Nursery. Read more about two easy-to-grow houseplants that are perfect for beginners: philodendron and snake plant.

8. Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass

Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle is a great place to visit all year long, but it’s especially nice for gardeners to see at this time of year because you can observe a garden that still looks fantastic in fall and winter months. Check out this map of the gardens along with a plant list. It’s a nice guide to the garden and plantings—you can print it and take it with you (make notes on the plants you want to add to your garden!). If you enjoy getting out and about, check out Garden Design's Self-Guided Day Trips for 3 other must-see gardens in Seattle or 3 hidden gems in Portland.

9. Avoid Cutting Back Perennials

Instead of completely cutting back perennials and ornamental grasses in the fall, let them turn brown so they add to the fall and winter beauty in your garden. Wait until early spring to give perennials a heavy pruning, as that’s when plants start their growth cycle. This also means there will just be a short period of time when your garden looks bare.

10. Plant Wildflowers

Planting wildflowers is an easy way to fill your garden with spring and early summer flowers. Though planting wildflower seeds can be done in spring, it’s often best to sow seeds in the fall so you get a head start on the growing season. The American Meadows guide to planting wildflowers in the fall notes that you may see flowers two to four weeks sooner when you plant them in fall instead of spring. There are specific native wildflower seed mixes for the Pacific Northwest as well as others seed mixes designed for the climate.