Now that we've finished October and Halloween, we're on the fast track to Thanksgiving and Christmas entertaining, looming in the near future. Prepare your home and garden with our all-new assortment of the popular Regal metal garden figures. In addition to bees, frogs, lady bugs, and fairies we also have Christmas figures, including Santa Claus and snowmen.

1. Plant groundcovers.
2. Plant a basket of narcissus for holiday bloom.
3. Finish filling flower beds with cool-season flowers for winter and spring bloom.
4. Plant nasturtiums and continue to plant wildflowers from seeds.
5. Plant flowering kale.
6. Continue to plant winter vegetables, including garlic.
7. Prune pine trees and other conifers now through February.
8. Divide and plant agapanthus.
9. Divide matilija poppy.
10. Open up spaces in dense trees to allow wind to pass through.
11. Prune acacias.
12. Prune cane berries other than low-chill raspberries.
13. Cut back chrysanthemums after bloom; clean up the ground.
14. Fertilize cool-season bedding flowers.
15. Continue to fertilize cineraria for growth.
16. Once rains arrive, stop watering succulents growing in the ground.
17. Water bulbs, especially potted ones.
18. Water roses until mid-month--but only if rains aren't adequate.
19. Don't let citrus go dry in cold or frosty weather.
20. Bait flower beds for cutworms, slugs and snails.
21. Stake young trees loosely so they can develop strong trunks.
22. Pre-chill tulips, hyacinths, and crocuses.
23. Wrap the trunks of young citrus and avocado trees with an insulating material to protect them from cold.
24. Mulch, mulch, and mulch some more.

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Trivia Contest rules: Each week one winner will be selected to compete for the monthly prize. Weekly winners win only the chance to compete for the monthly prize: a $10 Blue Hills Gift Certificate.

At the end of each month, one winner will be selected at random from the 4 (or sometimes 5) weekly winners.

This week's winner will be entered in the drawing for Novem ber's prize: $10 gift certificate.

This Week's Question: What is the most famous single piece of classical topiary in North America?

By Tamara Galbraith

You see them all over the place during autumn: bales of hay used as fall décor. But once all the autumn decorations have been put away, what should you do with your bales of hay?

One option is: compost them. Hay is an excellent additive to the compost pile, and ideally, the heat of the pile will kill any weed seeds that might be languishing in the bales. Straw apparently breaks down even better than hay.

Hay and straw make great mulches and/or path covers too. First, though, break open the bales and let them sit outside for a couple of weeks. This will allow wild birds to come in and munch on any weed seeds that might still be present. When spreading hay or straw bales on garden beds, be sure they don't stay too clumpy as you break the bales apart.

Last, hay bales left intact make great cold frames--a kind of mini-greenhouse for housing tender plants during the colder seasons. Simply arrange the bales in a tight square and place your plants inside, either right in the soil or in containers. A piece of Plexiglas or an old window serves as the lid.

If you decide to give this easy cold frame a try, be aware that you must monitor the temperature frequently. Too much sun, and the plants inside will fry, so prop the lid open if necessary. If temperatures are going to drop too low for your plants, throw a blanket over the whole contraption and remove it when things stabilize.

No matter what, the hay will eventually break down, though, so keep an eye out for that--as well as the occasional mouse looking for a warm, fluffy place to spend the winter.

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The mandarin has many names, some of which actually refer to crosses between the mandarin and another citrus fruit. Varieties with reddish-orange fruit marketed as tangerines, and tangelos (a cross between a grapefruit and a tangerine) are all part of the same family.

Smaller than oranges, mandarins are easily peeled with the fingers, starting at the thin rind covering the depression at the top of the fruit, and can be easily split into even segments without spilling juice. This makes it more convenient to eat than many other types of citrus, as one doesn't require utensils to peel or cut the fruit.

Mandarins make a wonderful addition to various kinds of dishes. The freshly grated peel lends an exotic flavor to other foods. Whole segments can be used in salads, desserts and other dishes such as coleslaw or tuna salad for an unexpected, delicious and colorful treat!

Most mandarin varieties are self-fertile (needing a bee only to move pollen within the same flower) or parthenocarpic (not needing pollination and therefore seedless). They prefer warm sunny locations with good drainage and benefit from the addition of a planting mix like Gardner & Bloome Harvest Supreme at planting time. Make sure to feed your mandarin every two months year-round with Dr. Earth Organic 9 Fruit Tree Fertilizer to ensure strong growth and great tasting fruit.

We encourage you to find a spot in your garden for one of these great tasting fruit trees. Once you taste a fresh one, you'll never go back to store-bought!

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What's the best time to spray my peach and nectarine trees to prevent peach-leaf curl?

Answer:

Peaches and nectarines should actually be sprayed 3 times each winter to prevent peach-leaf curl. The first (and most important) time to spray is in fall when about half the leaves have fallen. We recommend a combination of a copper spray with a spreader sticker. The first spray should also include dormant spray oil to kill any insects hoping to over-winter. The key is to make this first application before winter storms and while there is still some foliage to absorb the spray.

The second application should be made at full dormancy in mid-winter.

The third and final application should be made during pink bud swell, but prior to opening of blooms.

(We recommend staying upwind from the spray unless you are planning to audition for the Blue Man Group.)

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