November is the month we have one of the best holidays of the year—Thanksgiving. What better time is there to reflect on the wonders of the year and all the positive things that have happened? It’s also a great time to tidy up the yard and get it ready for all the friends and family who may stop by to visit.

Trees and shrubs are preparing for the shorter days and cooler temperatures. Deciduous plants are dropping leaves. Evergreen plants are storing sugars and other products in the leaves, stems and roots to make them more cold hardy. The extra sugars and starches in the tissues protect them from cold temperatures by preventing the liquid in the cells from freezing and bursting the cells when the temperature drops below freezing.

For this reason, it’s best to wait until the plant is fully dormant before pruning. Shaping up the hedges should be similar to the weekly haircut, there is no need to remove a whole lot, just smooth out the rough edges. If the plant needs to be cut back hard or rejuvenated because it has grown out of bounds, this type of pruning should wait until late February or March, just before new growth appears on the plants.