Gardening This Weekend: November 5, 2026
Here are the things I’d rank as most critical to get done in the next several days. Compare them with your lists.
PLANT
• This is pretty much last chance to put tulip and Dutch hyacinth bulbs into the refrigerator to give them their required 45 days of “pre-chilling” before planting them into the garden toward the end of December. Without the treatment they will not flower properly in Texas.
• Daffodils, narcissus, jonquils, grape hyacinths and summer snowflakes now. They do not need the pre-chilling.
• Pansies, pinks, ornamental cabbage and kale and other cool-season annuals now. Planting in large pots allows you to get them up and out of the way of rabbits, a common problem. However, they’ll also be less winter hardy when their roots are exposed in containers, so be prepared to wrap them or bring them into protection overnight.
• Trees and shrubs from the nursery. Inventories are shrinking. Fall planting pays off as plants are better established by summer, but you can’t delay any longer.
PRUNE
• Stubble from perennial garden, leftover vegetables and annual beds.
• Dead and damaged branches from trees, shrubs and vines. Get them out of the way before winter ice and windstorms might cause them to fall.
• Houseplants that have been in summer rehab outdoors. Reshape them before bringing them inside for the winter.
FERTILIZE
• Pansies, violas, and other cool-season annual color with high-nitrogen, water-soluble plant food to keep them growing during these perfect weather conditions.
• Cool-season grasses fescue and rye with a high-nitrogen lawn fertilizer. This is their season for active growth.
• Compost pile with nitrogen fertilizer to supply microorganisms with the nitrogen they need to hasten the composting.
ON THE LOOKOUT
• Brown patch in St. Augustine. Look for yellowed, then browned circles of turf 18-24 in. across. Apply Azoxystrobin fungicide to stop its development. Stop any evening watering.
• Broadleafed weeds (clover, dandelions, henbit, chickweed, etc.) that may be germinating. Apply a broadleafed weedkiller (containing 2,4-D) according to label directions to kill them while they are young and growing actively.
• Patio pots you intend to bring into the house or greenhouse. Check for scales, mealybugs, spider mites, and other pests that need to be treated outdoors. Watch for fire ants and roaches in the potting soil.