Green Thumb Tips These gardening and holiday tips are offered for November. Water conservation inside and outside the home also means protecting it. Many urban homeowners learned at the University of Nebraska's 1996 Festival of Color at Ithaca how landscape maintenance practices may add to water pollution. Never dump potential pollutants such as used oil, paints, antifreeze and other household chemicals on the street or into storm sewers. Clean up pet waste to avoid runoff of nutrients and disease-causing microorganisms.
Winter is a time to plan the spring and summer garden.
During late autumn when frosts arrive, many gardens become drab and lifeless. However, with a little planning, the winter garden can have its own beauty. Examine your garden's bones - its underlying design, walls, hedges, pathways and outstanding plant specimens and other focal points. A good place to start improving the winter garden is the view from a favorite window. Winter is when gardeners look more often and longer at the outdoors.