In November, you may feel like staying cozy indoors but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate a beautiful garden through the window! And you may even venture outside for a little late-fall gardening on milder days. These plants thrive in cooler weather, offering beautiful color and structure to the garden and containers. We even threw a holiday-worthy houseplant into the mix! Here are our favorite plants for November:
Heath & Heather (Erica & Calluna)
Heath (Erica) and Heather (Calluna) adds color to the garden in all four seasons. How can you tell them apart? Heaths have needle-like leaves while Heathers have flatter leaves. Both are low maintenance and loved for their blooms and evergreen foliage, which often displays fall and winter color.
Full sun
Well-drained, acidic soil
1’-3’ tall and wide, depending on variety
Blooms spring, summer, fall, and/or winter, depending on variety
Norfolk Island Pine (Auraucaria heterophylla)
Not all our top picks are outdoor plants! As we turn towards the indoors with the cooling weather, the Norfolk Island Pine (not actually a pine tree) is a great houseplant option and makes an excellent alternative to a cut tree for those who want a living Christmas tree for the holidays and a beautiful houseplant for the rest of the year!
Full sun to bright light
Well-drained soil; water when the top of the soil has dried out.
likes high humidity
Carsten’s Wintergold Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo 'Carstens Wintergold’)
As its name suggests, the needles of this evergreen pine turn from bright green in spring and summer to a rich gold tone as the weather cools. A dwarf pine, Carsten’s Wintergold grows only to 2 feet tall over a period of 10-15 years.
Full sun to part shade
Well-drained soil
1’-2’ tall and 3’-4’ wide
Cyclamen
Cyclamen is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the same family as the primrose. Their lovely heart-shaped leaves and waxy flowers in shades of white, pink, red, and lavender make them a colorful addition to the garden. The patterned leaves of winter-blooming cyclamen appear in autumn and flowers bloom from late winter to early spring.
Indirect sun to part shade
Well-drained soil
6”-12” tall and wide, depending on variety
Red Twig Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
A beautiful addition to the winter garden, dogwood has nice fall color and stems that change to red as the temperature gets colder. Prune hard in the spring because the newer shoots get the best winter color.
Full sun to part shade
Well-drained soil
Grows up to 8’-10’ tall and wide
Jean’s Dilly Spruce (Picea glauca ‘Jean’s Dilly’)
A delightful slender evergreen. This spruce is known for its upright growth habit and its ability to hold shape without shearing. Perfect for the small-to-medium-sized landscape or a container, it is a slow grower that will get to 4’-5’ tall over 10-20 years.
Full sun
Well-drained soil
Slowly grows to 4’-5’ tall and 2’-3’ wide
Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)
The dense, glossy green foliage of Wintergreen turns a beautiful merlot color with cool temperatures. Couple that with exceptionally large, vibrant red berries from fall through spring and you have a winner. This evergreen works well as a groundcover or in containers.
Part shade to shade
Rich, acidic soil
6”-8” tall and 2’-3’ wide