A calendar of monthly garden tasks and activities for the month of November. This calendar features both native plants and edibles.

1. November in the Southern California Garden
Each month has its special joys and tasks in the garden. Below is a suggested calendar for November. Remember
that gardening depends on the weather, so tasks, bloom season and activities may vary from year to year.
Best of Show:
 Flowers: * Ribes sanguineum, Epilobium canum, Heteromeles arbutifolia, Trichostema lanatum
 Fruits/berries: Symphoricarpos spp.
 Foliage: *Acer circinatum, *Cercis occidentalis, Eriogonum species, Lyonothamnus floribundus, Rhus trilobata, *Vitis californica
‘Roger’s Red’
Planning:
 Now is the best time to evaluate the backbones of your garden. Are there enough larger plants to provide a backdrop? Hide unlovely
views? Provide bird habitat?
 Evaluate your garden for Fall color. Do you have enough contrast? See our Oct, 2016 posting on Fall color: http://mother-natures-
backyard.blogspot.com/2016/10/fall-color-with-california-native-plants.html
 Purchase plants from native plant nurseries/sales; place in semi-shade and water until planted out.
Hardscape/General:
 Renew mulch after pruning – so much easier!
 Complete your clean-up of summer blooming perennials and shrubs
Propagation: major propagation month
 From seed: cool-season grass plugs; annual wildflowers in containers; shrub & tree seeds w/ short/no pre-chill req.
 Check seeds stratifying in refrigerator; plant in nursery pots when you start seeing tiny roots emerge
 From cuttings: semi-soft wood cuttings of ceanothus, Manzanita; hardwood cuttings from vines, grapes
Planting:
 Last chance: replant native bulbs/corms
 Plant out herbaceous groundcover plants – keep watered if needed
 Plant rain garden plants; keep watered
 Plant out cool-season vegetables from starts or pony-packs
 Evaluate/repot container plants as needed

2. Watering:
 Once rains saturate the soil you can turn off your irrigation system (if you have one); check soils periodically during hot, windy, dry
weather and water as needed
 Water garden well if soils become dry or if no rain for 3 weeks or longer
Pruning: major pruning month
 Finish pruning summer-dry shrubs in dry, warm (not hot) periods (check forecast)
 Prune to shape/train:
 Most native trees and woody shrubs, vines
 Prune to thin:
 Baccharis spp
 Berberis spp
 Ceanothus spp.
 Cercocarpus spp.
 Prune back groundcover perennials/sub-shrubs:
 Diplacus/Mimulus spp
 Eriogonum spp.
 Mint family: Monardella spp., Salvia spathacea, Stachys spp.
 Groundcover sunflowers: Symphyotrichum/Aster spp., Achillea millefolium, Artemisia douglasiana, Grindelia spp., Solidago spp.,
 Romneya coulteri
 Hedge-shear – good time
 Divide plants (when ground is soft after rains begin)
 Iris douglasii
 *Heuchera spp.
 Fern species (native)
 Fragaria spp. (wait until start to grow w/ fall rains)
 Most native bunchgrasses
 Sisyrinchium spp.
 Native succulent plants & cacti
Weeds/Diseases/Pests:
 Gophers may be actively digging in irrigated areas
Edibles/Crafts:
 Collect and dry rose-hips for tea
 Use prunings of many plants to create natural dyes
 Make holiday gifts with aromatics – potpourri, flavored vinegars
 Make jam, jelly or syrup from frozen fruits
Enjoying the garden:
• Note when the first seed-eating birds visit your spent sunflowers & buckwheats ; set out bird seed
11/10/2016