Prepare for Winter; Check Out November Garden

"If you would have a mind at peace, a heart that cannot harden, go find a door that opens upon a lovely garden." - Author unknown

It may seem silly to talk about a lovely garden in mid-November in Pennsylvania, but long after the leaves of deciduous trees have ceased grabbing all the attention, a close look at this pre-winter garden shows subtle and sometimes surprising finds.

The vining bittersweet still spills over the fence with its cracked yellow pods giving way to brilliant orange berries.

While the potted petunias have largely died out, some spots of white can still be detected among the striking gray of the silver king Artemsia.

Offering a true surprise are the lavender-purple flower buds at the stem tops of the highly toxic Aconitum also known as monkshood, wolfsbane, devil's helmet and a half dozen other names.

Although the plants are tall and spindly, they are refusing to bow to Old Man Winter and shed the last of their blooms.

Growing around the monkshood is the perennial geranium macrorrhizum, a variety that spreads at a reasonable pace and pops out plants at the oddest places. It loves to strike out in the crevasses of stone walls

The sisters and I refer to it as stinky geranium. It gives off an odd scent, but only when the leaves are rubbed.

Eager to stick around in the garden as long as possible, the leaves of the stinky geranium have turned a soft pink with some areas of light orange and crimson and are slow to relinquish the near-lime-green summer color of its leaves.

Still attractive is the deep green, fern-like foliage of the herb tansy. Still growing at the top of the stems are the tiny coin shaped bright yellow flowers.

Especially eye-catching this year is the foliage of the Spirea. Magic carpet, candy corn and double play gold are low growing shrubs that add a real punch of fall beauty with their yellow and pinkish foliage.

Also putting on a good show this year is the Euonymus alatus, better known as burning bush. The crimson foliage is an eye-catcher whether it be the large plants that can be pruned into a blooming hedge or the dwarf variety.

Some gardening friends spoke last week of their lilac bushes opening to give them a lovely purple second bloom. A Russian Prince Weigela was caught showing off its beautiful red flowers outside the doctor's office.

Doing a garden tour to see what beauty lies hidden is a good time to take a pair of pruners and clip off dead branches and spent flower heads on the perennials.

This simple step can go a long way in reducing fungi and bug larvae, cutting down on problems when spring rolls around.

If not already undertaken, these next fews days before the low temperatures move in for the winter offer a good time to turn off all outdoor water sources, unscrew the hoses and drain them well before storage in the garden shed or garage.

Also take a few minutes and bring ceramic flower pots into the garage or shed. For those too heavy to carry, flip them on their side to prevent snow from freezing in the soil, expanding and cracking the container.

Now is also a good time to take a walk around the back of the shed, garage and other areas that see little foot traffic.

Pick up stray pots, shovels. hoes, rakes and ladders and move them into sheltered areas.

Make sure any lightweight chairs, tables and benches are brought in or secured in some manner to withstand hard winter winds.

As garden furniture is secured, don't overlook the outdoor grills, blackstone griddles and smokers. If it's not practical to move them to a shed, look for ways to anchor them to a tree, a wall or into the ground using stakes and elastic cords.

While Morrisons Cove gardeners have experienced several hard frosts to date this fall, it's only after the ground freezes solid that mulching should be done.

This advice from sister Donna Martino comes from personal experience.

"If you mulch too early it opens the door for rodents to take up residency," she said.

Once they move in for the winter, they likely will burrow deep beyond the mulch and spend the cold months feasting on the roots of your perennials and shrubs.

"It's best to wait until the ground is frozen solid," she said.