Early Nov. is the time to plant spring bulbs

Early November is a good time to plant spring-flowering bulbs in containers that will be "forced' into early indoor bloom. A little time spent planting now will add lively color to your home when winter still has its grip on the slumbering outdoor garden.

Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses are the easiest bulbs to force. Start by filling shallow pots 4 to 12 inches wide with soilless potting mix. Then place a single layer of fresh bulbs with their noses pointing up. Cover the bulbs with more mix, water thoroughly, and seal each pot in a plastic bag.

Most spring-flowering bulbs need a cold period for eight to 16 weeks. You can mimic winter's chill by placing the containers in an unheated garage or shed, a window well filled with 8 to 12 inches of mulch, or a refrigerator free of ripening fruit where the temperature remains between 32 and 45 degrees.

Once roots have filled the pots shoots will emerge, signaling it's time to remove the plastic bag and place the pot in bright but indirect light in a cool room. As buds develop, bring pots into a warmer room with indirect light and water as needed. Keep the soil moist until blossoms appear, usually in two to four weeks.

Other projects for your garden this month:

Trees and shrubs

• Continue to plant deciduous trees and shrubs, weather permitting. Apply a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch (shredded bark, shredded leaves or compost) to root zones of newly planted trees and shrubs, being careful to pull mulch 4 inches away from trunks. Mulch keeps soil temperatures warmer longer, helping new plants to become established.

• Continue to water trees and shrubs, especially evergreens, until the ground is completely frozen.

• Protect hybrid tea, floribunda, multiflora, climbing, miniature and newly planted roses late this month or following several days of 20-degree weather. Mound 12 to 18 inches of lightweight peat moss or composted manure at base of roses. If desired, further protect plants by making chicken wire cages stuffed with leaves.

• Prune hybrid tea roses back to knee height. Prune other types of roses, as needed, early next spring before growth resumes.

• Consider making burlap windbreaks 12 inches from sensitive and newly planted shrubs to buffer damaging winter winds.

• Anti-desiccant sprays to protect foliage from drying winds are not recommended for routine use on broad-leaved evergreens like rhododendron, azalea, boxwood or holly. These products can interfere with transpiration, the process plants use to release moisture through leaves.

Flowers

• Cut to the ground all remaining dried perennial material not intended for winter interest. Add to compost pile, if free from disease or insect problems.

Lawns

• Fertilize lawns for a final time early this month with a slow-release organic product high in nitrogen. This nitrogen application will help lawns retain green color longer and color up faster in early spring.

Edible plants

• After a hard frost, remove all dead plant material and add only what was disease-free to your compost pile. Till 1 to 2 inches of organic material, composted manure or shredded leaf mold into garden soil. Add granulated sulfur according to package directions.

Houseplants

• Plants brought indoors might exhibit temporary "transplant shock" in their new environment due to changes in light and temperature. Artificial lights can help plants that require full sun.

• Avoid overwatering houseplants and cut back on fertilizer except for plants like miniature roses or geraniums that are intended to bloom all winter.

• Furnaces often reduce humidity levels inside homes. Humidifiers and pebble-filled trays partially filled with water help plants that prefer humidity. Misting helps but alone is usually not enough.

• Continue to fertilize orchids with very dilute orchid fertilizer until they set flower buds. Monitor foliage for scorching caused by exposure to direct southern sun.

• Pot up paperwhite narcissus and African amaryllis for holiday blooms in mid-November. African amaryllis usually bloom in four to six weeks.

Denise Corkery is a horticultural writer at the Chicago Botanic Garden.