Gardening tips by month
November gardening tips: what to prune, feed & protect
A November garden checklist built from our plant care guides. Garden jobs depend on your local frost dates, so tasks are grouped for cold, moderate and mild climates. Find yours below, then tap any plant for full step-by-step instructions.
November in cold winters (zones 3–5)
Spraying & disease prevention in November
- Cherry tree: copper spray after leaf fall (Oct 15 – Nov 5)
- Peach / nectarine: peach leaf curl spray (after leaf drop) (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
Frost & winter protection in November
- Apple tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Apricot tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Asian pear: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Bigleaf hydrangea: protect flower buds over winter (Oct 22 – Nov 12)
- Chestnut tree: trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Garden mum: winter protection (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
- Hybrid tea rose: winter protection (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
- Kiwi vine: protect young trunks for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Pear (European): trunk guards for winter (Oct 15 – Nov 12)
- Strawberry: winter straw mulch (Oct 22 – Nov 19)
Other care in November
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Sep 17 – Nov 12)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Oct 1 – Nov 12)
November in moderate winters (zones 6–7)
Pruning in November
- Peony: cut to the ground in autumn (Oct 25 – Nov 15)
Spraying & disease prevention in November
- Cherry tree: copper spray after leaf fall (Nov 8–29)
- Peach / nectarine: peach leaf curl spray (after leaf drop) (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
Frost & winter protection in November
- Almond tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Apple tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Apricot tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Arborvitae: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Asian pear: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Boxwood: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Chestnut tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Fig tree: winter wrap (Nov 8–29)
- Kiwi vine: protect young trunks for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Pear (European): trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Pomegranate: winter protection (zone 7) (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Rhododendron: deep-water before the ground freezes (Oct 18 – Nov 22)
- Rosemary: winter protection (Oct 11 – Nov 1)
- Strawberry: winter straw mulch (Nov 15 – Dec 13)
- Strawberry tree: winter protection (zone 7) (Nov 15 – Dec 13)
- Tangerine / mandarin: frost plan (Oct 11 – Nov 1)
Other care in November
- Apple tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Apricot tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Bearded iris: fall leaf cleanup (borer control) (Nov 1–22)
- Climbing rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Flowering dogwood: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Grapevine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Hosta: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Hybrid tea rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Medlar: harvest and blet medlars (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Medlar: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Peach / nectarine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Oct 25 – Dec 6)
- Persimmon: harvest persimmons (Sep 27 – Nov 22)
- Persimmon: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Quince: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Shrub / landscape rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Strawberry tree: harvest the fruit (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Strawberry tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Oct 25 – Nov 22)
- Tangerine / mandarin: harvest tangerines (Oct 11 – Dec 20)
November in mild winters (zones 8–10)
Pruning in November
- Hybrid tea rose: stop deadheading, let hips form (Oct 20 – Nov 3)
- Rose of Sharon: remove seed pods (Oct 20 – Nov 17)
- Tomato: top the plants for the final crop (Oct 27 – Nov 3)
Frost & winter protection in November
- Arborvitae: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Boxwood: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Citrus (lemon, lime, orange): frost plan (Nov 17 – Dec 8)
- Macadamia: frost protection for young trees (Nov 24 – Dec 15)
- Rhododendron: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Tangerine / mandarin: frost plan (Nov 17 – Dec 8)
- Tropical hibiscus: bring containers indoors (Nov 3–17)
Other care in November
- Chestnut tree: harvest chestnuts (Oct 20 – Nov 24)
- Daylily: divide crowded clumps (every 3–4 years) (Oct 20 – Nov 10)
- Hazelnut / filbert: harvest hazelnuts (Oct 6 – Nov 10)
- Kiwi vine: harvest kiwis (Oct 20 – Dec 1)
- Macadamia: collect fallen nuts (Nov 3 – Jan 26)
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Nov 17 – Jan 12)
- Persimmon: harvest persimmons (Nov 3 – Dec 29)
- Pomegranate: harvest pomegranates (Oct 20 – Nov 24)
- Quince: harvest quince (Nov 3 – Dec 1)
- Strawberry tree: harvest the fruit (Nov 17 – Jan 12)
- Tangerine / mandarin: harvest tangerines (Nov 17 – Jan 26)
- Walnut tree: harvest walnuts (Oct 20 – Dec 1)