A Collection of November Posts

 

This blog is seasonal. Every week the topic has something to do with what’s happening: in the yard, in the season, even what’s happening with me. For those of you who haven’t been following since day 1 (Mapleleaf viburnum: October 14, 2010), you can still enjoy the posts by scrolling through the archives on the right side of the blog.

Even I find it entertaining to occasionally go back and see what I posted about in the same season, even in the same month. November can be such a good month for being outdoors, being thankful, and planning (and planting) for the next year. Here are a few of my favorite November posts over the last few years.

In November 2010 I posted about native evergreens because people love to use evergreen plants (often to screen out neighbors). Since plants don’t change much, even an old post like this can still be quite relevant and useful.

Evergreen American holly (Ilex opaca)

An obsession with native trees in parking lots started in 2011 with this post about oaks. Trees in parking lots have to be tough to handle the conditions imposed there. You can find more of my parking lot posts here.

Serviceberry is one of my favorite native trees to recommend so it is my pick for November 2012 (although it was hard to pick just one from that month – I had a lot of good ideas to work through in those early years).

If you’ve read my blog for a while then you know a rant sneaks in occasionally. For November 2013, I worked out my frustration with the term ‘backyard habitat’ by recommending that our front yards be considered habitat as well.

Planting for difficult spots doesn’t get enough attention when it comes to native plants (even though they were made for them!), so in 2014 I pulled together some shrub ideas just in time for our fall planting season.

Oakleaf hydrangea - a good shrub with great fall color

While so many people want evergreens, planning for and enjoying deciduous plants was the subject of this November 2015 post. In November 2016 I added to that with a Fall Color at Home post with specific recommendations. In November 2020, I felt compelled to combat the rise of the leaf blowers with a reminder of how to rake, including a cute photo of my grandson (who helped me rake just recently and we found a cute frog in the leaves).

Green tree frog discovered while raking

Fall is a great time to hike and appreciate the sights of fall. In November 2017, I recommended Big Trees Nature Preserve, in November 2021 it was Vogel State Park, and in November 2022 I reviewed the book Favorite Wildflower Walks in Georgia to give people ideas for spring (make a plan!).

Smartphone identification apps are commonly used now; in November 2018 I compiled some tips that are still relevant today when using apps. One thing I didn’t mention: taking a good, clear photo of the leaves is important to having the software provide good suggestions.

It wouldn’t be November if we weren’t reminded to be thankful, so in 2019 I finally did a post on being thankful for trees. They are our keystone plants, essential for life, and we should use native ones more often. I hope you find some useful posts tucked into this collection, whether they be new to you or a refresher.