Illinois gardens have a lot going on in November, and staying on top of key tasks keeps everything thriving. From pruning to soil prep, a few careful steps make a big difference.
I’ve listed ten essential chores to tackle this month. Your garden will stay healthy, organized, and ready for winter.
1. Rake and Mulch Fallen Leaves
Fallen leaves can smother your lawn and create perfect hiding spots for pests over winter. Illinois yards are usually covered in oak, maple, and other deciduous tree leaves by now.
Rather than bagging everything, consider mulching leaves with your mower to create free fertilizer. Shredded leaves break down quickly and feed your soil with nutrients.
You can also pile whole leaves around garden beds for winter protection, creating a cozy blanket for plant roots.
2. Plant Spring-Blooming Bulbs
Before the ground freezes solid across Illinois, you still have time to tuck spring bulbs into the soil. Tulips, daffodils, and crocuses need cold winter temperatures to bloom beautifully come March and April.
Plant bulbs about three times deeper than their height, pointy end facing up. Group them together for stunning color displays rather than spacing them out individually.
Water them once after planting, then let winter do the rest of the work.
3. Protect Tender Perennials
Some perennials struggle with Illinois winters without extra help. Roses, lavender, and ornamental grasses benefit from protective mulch layers around their base.
Apply four to six inches of shredded bark, straw, or compost once the ground starts freezing. Wait until temperatures consistently stay below freezing so mice don’t nest in the cozy mulch.
Wrapping rose canes with burlap prevents wind damage and sudden temperature swings from harming tender growth.
4. Clean and Store Garden Tools
Your shovels, pruners, and hoes have worked hard all season and deserve proper care. Cleaning off dirt and sap now prevents rust and keeps blades sharp for next year.
Scrub metal parts with a wire brush, then wipe them with an oily rag for rust protection. Sharpen pruners and shears before storing them in a dry spot.
Illinois humidity can damage tools left outside, so bring everything into your garage or shed for winter.
5. Drain and Store Garden Hoses
Water left inside hoses will freeze during Illinois winters, causing cracks and splits that ruin them completely. Disconnect all hoses from outdoor faucets and drain every drop of water.
Coil hoses loosely and hang them in your basement or garage where temperatures stay above freezing. Shut off indoor valves leading to outdoor faucets if you have them.
Installing foam faucet covers adds extra protection against pipe bursts during those bitter cold snaps.
6. Add Compost to Garden Beds
November is perfect for enriching your soil while gardens rest. Spread a two to three inch layer of finished compost over vegetable beds and flower gardens throughout your Illinois property.
Winter weather will help break down organic matter, and nutrients will soak deep into the soil. Come spring, your beds will be rich and ready for planting without extra work.
Compost also improves drainage in heavy clay soils common across much of Illinois.
7. Prune Dead or Damaged Branches
With leaves gone, you can easily spot broken, diseased, or dead branches on trees and shrubs around your Illinois landscape. Removing them now prevents storm damage and disease spread over winter.
Use clean, sharp tools and make cuts just outside the branch collar where branches meet the trunk. Avoid heavy pruning of spring-blooming shrubs since you’ll cut off next year’s flowers.
Save major shaping for late winter when plants are fully dormant.
8. Winterize Your Lawn Mower
Your mower needs attention before sitting idle through Illinois winters. Old gas can gum up the carburetor, and dirty oil damages the engine during storage.
Either run the tank completely empty or add fuel stabilizer to prevent gas from going bad. Change the oil, clean the blade, and remove grass clippings from underneath the deck.
A clean air filter and fresh spark plug will make spring startup much easier when mowing season returns.
9. Plant Garlic Cloves
Garlic thrives when planted in November across Illinois, needing cold temperatures to develop properly. Each clove you plant now will multiply into a full bulb by next summer.
Break apart garlic heads and plant individual cloves four inches deep and six inches apart, pointy end up. Cover the bed with straw mulch to protect against temperature fluctuations.
Choose hardneck varieties bred for cold climates, which produce delicious scapes in spring as a bonus harvest.
10. Bring Tender Plants Indoors
Tropical plants and tender herbs won’t survive Illinois freezes, so bring them inside before the first hard frost hits. Geraniums, coleus, and rosemary can continue growing on sunny windowsills all winter.
Check plants carefully for pests before bringing them in to avoid infesting your house. Hose them down outside and inspect leaf undersides for hitchhikers.
Reduce watering once indoors since plants grow slower with less light during winter months.