• Start a compost pile-leaves are excellent organic material and can be a great component of your compost pile.
• Leave them alone. Leaves could be considered Mother Nature’s mulch. Most of the time they do your lawn no harm. They slowly break down adding organic matter to your soil. If your leaves are thick enough that they are killing out the turf beneath them there are a couple options: take them and add them to your compost pile, run the mower over them to chop them up and disperse them, wait for a windy day and let them blow into the neighbors yard! (Just kidding, mostly)

Garden

• There is still time to plant TREES! Trees are the backbones of our landscapes and they give back so much. They shade our homes reducing our electric bills, they provide habitat, they help to clean our air, and their roots help to filter our ground water cleaning our water supplies ... And the list goes on!  You don’t have to look very far, or think very hard to find a good reason to plant a tree!
• To cut or not to cut? This time of year in doing landscape clean up our garden center receives many calls about pruning all sorts of plant materials. Here is a list of some of the most popular questions we receive and my suggestions:
  • Ornamental Grasses: I like to leave them through the winter. I think their winter presence adds depth to the landscape and some of the native species provide food for birds. I generally cut or burn mine off in February or March.
  • Lilacs: A definite no-no! If you trim them in the fall, you will cut the flower buds off, reducing or eliminating your spring flower display.
  • Coneflowers and other perennials: I generally leave them until March or April. Sometimes their winter presence is not much, but their seed heads can provide birds with another food source. Additionally, I find it easier to clean them up in the spring after their foliage has gone through the winter. Plants like hosta and daylilies are super easy in the spring to just twist and lift the old foliage away.
• For shrubs and trees the recommendations are often more specific.  For recommendations in your area, contact your local ICN Pro.

Birds & Butterflies

• Hang out your bird feeders if you haven’t already.  There are many different kinds of birdseed available. Birds can be picky eaters, but I find, at least at my house, that most everyone will feed on the black-oiled sunflower seed that I provide. 
• A fun project to do with your kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, or neighborhood kids is to make a birdfeeder. It is easy to do! Just get a pinecone, the bigger the better, some peanut butter and birdseed. Coat the pinecone with peanut butter, roll it in birdseed and presto a bird feeder that both the kids and the birds will love!

Houseplants

• Be sure to not over-water your houseplants. It is easily done! The amount of water a plant requires is dependent on a number of conditions: the species, the humidity in the house, the amount of light it receives, the amount of air movement in the area. I have found that you cannot rely on anything but the old-fashioned finger test. Stick your finger into the soil, if it is moist, the plant is probably ok. I usually wait until the soil is quite dry before I water my houseplants. This reduces the amount of fungal borne diseases that the plant is susceptible to.

Thanksgiving

• Pumpkins and gourds, leftover from Halloween, can make great Thanksgiving table decorations.
• Bittersweet (the native one) makes an excellent vine and is great to use in fall decorating.

This time of year we are reminded of all the things we have to be thankful for. Be sure to take a few minutes each day to look around you and remind yourself of all you have to be thankful for.

What is an ICN Pro? An ICN Pro is a person who is dedicated to the Green Industry. He/she has committed themselves to maintaining a level of professionalism that is unsurpassed in the industry. An ICN Pro has completed a rigorous series of tests that include sections on General Standards, Design, Perennial Plant Material, Woody Plant Material and Plant Diseases. Currently there are over 300 ICN Pro’s statewide. To find an ICN Pro in your area check out  www.illinoisgreen.net/icnprolisting.htm.

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by Carey Boehm-Corrie, ICN Pro of the Year (2003), Boehm's Garden Center, Rushville, IL