Prescott Gardener Ken Lain Says Trees and Shrubs Need a Deep Soak About Every Two Weeks All Winter, Even When Arizona Yards Look Dormant

A yard that looks asleep in November is still thirsty, according to Prescott gardener Ken Lain. Lain, known locally as the Mountain Gardener at Watters Garden Center, says trees and shrubs in Arizona’s high country should keep getting a deep soak about every two weeks through the winter, especially in a mild, dry season. The advice comes from his column answering the top November garden questions of 2026.

Water Less Often, but Deeper

As temperatures drop, Lain recommends watering less often but more deeply, and letting the soil dry to about the depth of a second knuckle between waterings, according to his Nov. 3 column in Signals AZ.

For trees and shrubs, his rule of thumb is a deep soak about every two weeks all winter. That matters most in a mild, dry winter and for trees planted this year, he wrote.

Arizona’s mountain towns are not the only places where gardeners are being told to keep watering. In Massachusetts, the Acton Garden Club’s November hints tell gardeners to continue to water trees and shrubs until the ground freezes, following the local water district’s odd-even schedule under its current restrictions.

November Is Still Planting Time

Lain says it is not too late to plant. November is an ideal month for new trees, cold-tolerant shrubs and winter vegetables, he wrote, and anything that goes in the ground should get a deep soak right away.

Texas horticulturist Neil Sperry makes a similar case. Buying trees and shrubs at end-of-season nursery sales and planting them now lets them begin establishing new roots over the winter and early spring, Sperry wrote on Nov. 12.

Careful With Fertilizer, and Ready for Frost

Lain cautions against high-nitrogen synthetic fertilizers on frost-sensitive plants this time of year, because they can push tender new growth that cold weather will damage. He does recommend feeding the yard with a slow-release fertilizer made for mountain conditions, especially young landscapes, and treating pine and spruce with a plant drench to keep insects out.

For cold nights, he suggests covering young, tender plants with frost cloth or blankets and uncovering them in the morning. Tropical plants should come indoors right away. Cold frames should be cleaned out now, and water gardens winterized by turning off the pump, turning on an ice breaker and netting the pond against falling leaves and herons.

The Midwest checklists sound similar. An AgriNews late-fall chores guide recommends wrapping thin-barked trees like maples and many fruit trees, or painting their south- and southwest-facing sides with white latex paint, to protect them over winter, and removing the wraps by early spring.

Mulch timing is a common question in colder places. The Acton Garden Club advises waiting until the ground freezes before spreading 2 to 3 inches of organic mulch, such as chopped leaves, around trees and shrubs, kept a few inches away from stems and trunks. For roses and perennials, it suggests waiting until the ground is frozen at least a quarter inch deep, then adding a 3- to 4-inch layer of pine needles, straw or shredded oak leaves, and skipping field hay, which can carry weed seeds.

The same club recommends an anti-desiccant spray late in the month for vulnerable broadleaf evergreens, along with deer repellent on yew, holly and rhododendron. AgriNews adds that strawberries should be mulched once temperatures reach about 20 degrees, and that mounding soil and mulch over rose graft unions should wait until after several killing frosts.

Cleaning Up the Beds

Lain’s bed-prep list is practical. Clear weeds, dead summer annuals and spent vegetable plants so pests and diseases have nowhere to overwinter. Cut back perennials, and throw diseased foliage away rather than adding it to the compost.

He also suggests drying herbs and flowers such as hydrangea, lavender and yarrow indoors, spreading 2 to 3 inches of manure over exposed soil, saving seed for next year, and cleaning, sanding and oiling tools before putting them away.

Lain’s list is meant to leave the garden clean and ready, so spring starts with healthy soil instead of last year’s leftovers.

Trees deserve a check before storms, too. In Maine, Bartlett Tree Experts arborist representative Will Buckley told WGME that calls ramp up this time of year as homeowners try to get weak limbs inspected before ice, snow and shifting winds arrive.

Keeping the Hose Handy

The yard may look finished for the year once the leaves are down, but Lain’s advice is not to treat it that way. He singles out trees planted this year, and a mild, dry winter, as the situations where a regular deep soak matters most.

For high-country gardeners, the takeaway is to keep the hose handy. A deep watering every couple of weeks, a little less often than in summer but more thoroughly, is Lain’s prescription for getting trees and shrubs through to spring.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: gizilich – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons