Holiday plants need TLC.

Poinsettia Tips -- Keep poinsettias well-watered and away from direct sun and heat sources, such as fireplaces or radiators. They'll droop at the drop of a hat and won't recover well.

Poinsettia Tips

Holiday Plant Guide -- Check out basic care and tips for other holiday plants.

• In moderation, add the wood ash from your fireplace to your compost heap.
• In the warmest regions, continue to plant cool-season flowers and vegetables. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce weeding.
• In the warmest regions, now is also an okay time to transplant shrubs and small trees. Keep them well-watered.
• In those areas where frosts are just an occasional thing, keep plantings well-watered so whenever a freeze threatens, plants are more likely to survive. A "turgid" well-hydrated plant is better equipped to recover than a dehydrated plant.
• Set out a nice big basket to hold all those garden catalogs that have started arriving already so you can read them after the holidays, at your leisure.
• If you've overseeded your lawn and there are bare spots, feel free to scatter a bit more seed to fill in. Also, if the weather is warm and dry, you may need to water the overseeded lawn. If you haven't overseeded, sit back and relax!
• In warmer regions, from now through February, after a killing freeze or a frost, is a good time to move a rose. Transplant it with as much of the roots as possible and keep well-watered.

Fall Tool Care -- At the end of the season, clean and oil hand tools and store.

Fall Tool Care

• After the last mowing of the season, if there is one, take in your mower to be serviced and have the blade sharpened so it's ready to go for spring. Winterize all power equipment by allowing it to run until the gasoline runs out.