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The night before season's first light frost is expected,
cover sensitive plants with blankets, sheets or protective
cloths. Remove protection the next morning. Hardier
geraniums and roses may bloom for weeks after the first
frosts. Mums, too, may change their color a bit but will
keep on blooming. |
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Keep gathering leaves. You can never have too much
compost, mulch or organic matter in the soil. |
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Plant late-season purchases of perennials or move and
rearrange old ones to improve your planting plan. Group
plants according to water needs as well as sun requirements. |
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Dig up and bring a few geraniums indoors. They can be
replanted in containers or stored hung upside down, bare
root in a cool, dark location. |
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Remember those poinsettias you brought inside? Put them in
a room that receives no light at night or cover them with a
large box after 5 p.m. Give them bright light during the
daytime. They need these short days for 6 to 8 weeks in
order to bloom for the holidays. This same procedure works
to get a Christmas cactus to bloom. |