November.
There is still plenty to do in the garden on a fine day. In a wild garden or shrubbery some people leave all the dead leaves lying. We think that this is advisable in a big country garden, but not in a small, compact town one, that should look trim and well-tended. Your flower border you should keep as neat as your bedroom. All weeds, dead leaves, and rubbish must be removed now, and if you have plants that need protection you will give them tidy heaps of manure, ashes, or dead leaves. See that the labels and sticks marking plants and bulbs are firmly in the ground. Cut down herbaceous plants that have done flowering. Throw away the annuals that have become shabby. Lift your Dahlias on a dry day, cut their stems to within three inches of the crown of the roots, and put them, stem downwards, in an airy place to dry. During the winter they must be kept from frost, but not altogether from air. They are often stored in a shed, or on the floor of a cool greenhouse.
Remember that this is the chief month in the year for planting Roses, and do it at the beginning rather than the end.
Any part of your garden that is empty may be dug over and manured now. The surface should then be left in a rough state, so that the winter frosts can work the soil well, and prepare it to receive seeds and young plants in the spring.