November Gardening Tips for the South

This is the ideal time for planting evergreens, deciduous trees, spring bulbs, perennials, and annuals. You can even add herbs to the garden now. Grab your trowel and start digging.

• Consider mature size when selecting a tree or shrub for a location. This will save you a lifetime of pruning a too-big plant to fit in a too-small space.
• Wait to plant azaleas or crape myrtles until spring, when you can buy plants in flower to ensure you're getting the exact hue you want.
• Water new woody plantings daily for the first month. After that, check soil and water when it's dry.

• Plant peonies now. Use variants with reliable reputations for Southern gardens: 'Sarah Bernhardt' (pink) and 'Festiva Maxima' (white). Be sure to choose a permanent planting spot -- these beauties resent being moved.
• Consider creating drifts of small-flowered daffodils. These types naturalize readily in Southern gardens, woods, and lawns.

• Try using herbs to add edible interest to planting areas. Great candidates include parsley, chard, and French sorrel.
• Get strawberries in the ground early this month so roots are firmly anchored and growing before soil cools.

Test Garden Tip: Plant amaryllis for pretty holiday color. You can tuck bulbs into pots or simply grow them on pebbles in water like paper-white narcissus. Plant a few extra bulbs to give as gifts.