November felt more like spring, than fall. Most parts of the state finally saw a frost by Thanksgiving, and clean up is in full swing. With the holiday season upon us, try to fit in some time for a few gardening chores as well.

There are still a lot of leaves left hanging on our trees, yet the ground seems to be continually covered with leaves. You rake one day, and it looks like you haven't started the next. Leaves do make good compost and mulch, and shredding them will speed up the process. For good composting, you need both carbon and nitrogen–the leaves are the carbon, and there isn't a lot of green (nitrogen) around. You may want to add a little nitrogen fertilizer, to speed things along.

While November was warmer than normal, it was also particularly dry. Soil moisture is crucial for plant survival. If your yard is too dry, consider watering once in a while, especially prior to a hard freeze. If there isn't ample moisture in the ground, your plants may not have enough in them to protect them from freezing. Containerized plants always need extra water–even during the winter months, but don't ignore your other shrubs and trees.

Clean up of perennial beds can be added to the compost pile, provided you didn't have a lot of diseases this summer. Home compost piles often don't get hot enough to kill out disease organisms, and you can reintroduce the diseases back to your garden. Scatter seeds from seed heads to encourage seedlings next spring. Remove old mulch and replace with fresh.

Christmas trees are going up in homes all over Arkansas. If you are using a fresh cut tree, practice a few safety precautions to keep it fresh and safe. If you purchase a pre-cut tree, make a fresh cut at the base to allow the tree to absorb water more easily. Always keep the tree stand full of water. Warm water is often absorbed more easily. Redirect any heating vents which would directly hit the tree, which can speed up the drying process. Keep the room a little cooler than normal, which will also delay drying. And never have open flames near any type of tree–artificial or fresh cut.

Poinsettias are the perennial favorite flowering holiday plant. While red is still the traditional color, there are now pinks, whites, and variegated, as well as salmon and yellow varieties. Plant sizes vary from standard four to six inch pots, to miniatures to tree forms and even hanging baskets. Regardless of the size or variety, poinsettias like bright light and even moisture. With plenty of light, they can keep their colored bracts for many months. All to often, poinsettias are used as centerpieces, away from lights, and then they begin dropping leaves. It is easily avoided with a little extra light.

There is still time to plant spring blooming bulbs. Try to get them in the ground this month to ensure they have ample chilling hours. If you can't plant immediately, store them in a cool location to start the chilling process. Spring bulbs need a minimum of 12 - 16 weeks of cool temperatures for them to be able to stretch and bloom. When planting, be sure to pick a site with well drained soil. Plant two to three times the size of the bulb, deep in the ground.

Our late frost kept many of our summer annuals thriving. In some instances, hardier summer annuals are still going strong. It is hard to remove flowering plants to make room for winter color, but it needs to be done if you want flowering winter annuals. The later you plant, the more important it is to buy flowering plants, not just green ones. If the winter annuals are small plants, chances are good that they won't begin to bloom until spring, and you have missed out on winter color. Pansies, flowering kale and cabbage, violas, snapdragons, dusty miller and Dianthus should all still be available. Get them in the ground soon.

Amaryllis bulbs have become inexpensive and readily available at a variety of outlets. They are an excellent way to add color to your home, even after the holidays have passed. They are also a great gift to give. Once you get the bulbs home, pot them up if they are not prepotted, and then give them a little water. Wait to see signs of growth beginning before you begin to water in earnest. Once growth begins, give them sunlight and water, and stand back. Normally, they are in bloom in six to eight weeks. They can grow quite tall and top heavy, so occasionally support is needed. Turn them periodically to prevent leaning. After bloom, grow them as a houseplant until you can move them outdoors next spring.

If you have gardeners on your gift giving list, there are lots of choices. From plants and bulbs, to books and magazines, planters, statuary, bird baths, lighting, gardening tools and gadgets galore, there is something that your gardener NEEDS! They never have it all, and there is always something new on the horizon.

It has been a good season for camellia sasanqua's. These fall and early winter bloomers have really brightened many a landscape. If you can grow azaleas, you can grow camellias. Gardeners north of Little Rock will have more of a challenge with them, but some of the cold tolerant species are showing some promise. Plant them in a somewhat protected site, avoiding afternoon sun. They like a well drained acidic soil, and they are not drought tolerant. Flower color varies from whites, to pinks to reds, or mixtures there in.

By now, your garden mums have probably nipped back. This is the time to cut off the spent blossoms and foliage and bed them down for the winter. Mulching should keep them protected. They will multiply rapidly, so consider thinning them out with dividing them next spring. It should be done at least every other year, if not yearly.

Don't be overly concerned if your azaleas have some yellow leaves on them. Many azaleas are beginning to lose some of their older leaves now. The flower buds and newer foliage at the tips of the branches is fine, they are just going through their annual shed. It happens every year, and some varieties drop all their old leaves at once, which leads to concern. There have also been a lot of questions this fall about silvery appearances to azaleas. This is also a perennial problem, and is caused by the lacebug insect. They start feeding in the spring, and continue feeding all summer. The damage is done now, and there is nothing to be done about it. Monitor your plants earlier next season and avoid the problem.

Living Christmas trees–those that you actually plant in the landscape are becoming more and more popular, but you need to take a hard look at them before choosing this option. Does your landscape need a large evergreen? Also, consider the species. The white pines, spruces and firs, make great Christmas trees, but they don't like hot, humid weather, which we have in abundance every summer. If you do opt for a living tree, there are some other considerations. It should not be indoors longer than one week, and preferably 3-4 days. That doesn't give you a Christmas tree to enjoy for very long. Avoid heavy ornaments or lights that heat up. And lastly, keep it moist, but not standing in water–it has living roots, not a cut stem. After its trip indoors, give it a transition period in your garage, and then plant as soon as possible.

Bird watching has become a popular hobby. Hand-in-hand with the hobby, comes bird feeders and supplies. Besides food, birds need water and shelter. To attract a wide array of birds, consider different types of seeds or feeders. You won't just be attracting birds–other wildlife likes food, water and shelter too, and it is hard to feed one without the other–but there are some impediments to squirrels, racoon and the like.

We are smack in the middle of the dormant season. If you have trees or hardy shrubs that need to be moved, consider moving them this month, if you have the time. There will be less stress on the plants if they are moved while they are not in active growth. Protect the root system from low temperatures or drying winds during the moving process. Be sure to water well, and mulch after moving.

As you finish your gardening chores for the season, be sure to properly store your gardening tools and supplies. Drain and store hoses and sprinklers, leaving one handy in case dry weather should occur. Clay pots need protection to prevent freezing and thawing, which can cause cracking. Empty the gasoline from your lawn mower, or use it to mulch leaves until you run it out of gas. Clean mud off of shovels and hoes, and coat the metal parts of your tools with a light coat of oil. Good gardening tools make your jobs much more enjoyable, and making sure they are well taken care of, can extend their usefulness.

You may be providing a bed and breakfast for small rodents in your landscape. IF you have shrubs or trees with a thick layer of mulch up next to the stems, you have created a warm haven for these pests, and a ready supply of food. Mice and voles can chew off the bark of fruit trees and shrubs at ground level or slightly below and can girdle a plant and kill it. To reduce this damage, keep mulch pulled away from the base of the plants. On fruit trees, to prevent winter injury caused by freezing and thawing of the trunk, paint the base of the trees with a cheap white latex paint. This will reflect sunlight and prevent cracking.