You should have plenty of time, but you never know with Momma Nature. :) I would mulch well around all of them and make sure to cut your hostas and daylilies down to the ground after the first frost, moving the mulch over the top of the plant. For the shrubs, if it appears you will have ice or really frigid, drying wind, I would make sure to have some plant covers on hand. (I always keep some handy, but make sure to take them off when you have sunny, less frigid days again) Snow, of course, will insulate, but new shrubs are susceptible to winter kill with hard frosts, ice and really cold temperatures without the snow. Have fun! I love planting this time of year! Here is a link that might be useful: Plant covers for your shrubs

Thanks....for the responses. Big question> are cover crops really worth it? I compost and have lots of worms and add 2-3 in of compost to all my beds every year. For those that plant cover crops, do you notice a difference?

Have to second Mindy on digging the fence into the ground -- we had woodchucks (large family living under the garage) in our old house, and a 4-foot fence around the vegetable garden which wasn't sunk more than a few inches (maybe 6) into the ground. Woodchucks had a field day with the green beans and peppers in particular (for some reason, they were particularly fond of the jalapeno plant ... I think they must have had the makings for margaritas in their den, needed some salsa for the chips, or something...) We found one fat one sitting right smack in the middle of the garden not five minutes after the trapper had left one day, having retrieved his empty trap, inspecting the perimeter of the garden, and declaring "no signs" of digging (no entry, or "plunge" holes inside the garden, either). We never did figure out how he got inside but either he climbed the fence, or he (or she) was exceptionally neat when it came to digging (and they were NOT neat anywhere else -- I had a mound of dirt about a foot high on the side of the garage where the main entrance to the burrow was!) We fought/trapped them for three years. Every year, a new family was back. GOOD LUCK!!!

shambo, I think your right. I don't think dad can tell the difference with what's going on with his body. When he was living at home alone he got to where he'd drive himself to the doctors office for the one thing or another but the next day when I'd see him he'd tell he didn't trust the nurse when she'd tell him he was fine. He also has problems with both doctors and nurses at frist he thinks they're ok and then he'll tell me that they turned on him and not treating him the same. Maybe they got tired of his complaint and always insisting something was wrong even when they fixed the problem but he didn't think it was fixed. I did not mention that the day nurse called me Friday but I missed the call but she left a message. Telling me that she needed to talk to me about my dads condition. Needless to say I worried the rest of the weekend as to what she had to tell me but was sure if it was serious they'd keep trying to contact me or leave a message to call them ASAP. I planned it out to call the nurse to fins out what she had to tell me and when I called I find out that Friday was her last day working there. I talked to the new nurse and told her I'd like for my dad to be placed on something for his depression or anxiety. He's been on zoloft and said he didn't like it. I went and checked on two homes today but they were rehab/memory care centers. One looked really nice but no room the second one didn't look near as nice and the area they hold dementia care persons is very small with only one short hallway. I'll look into a nursing home that handles someone with problems like my dad. Problem in Texas is that if the person becomes combative they can call me up and tell me I have two days to fine a new place for him. Now you know it's not that easy to find a place and it's not good move them around so much. I do not want to be caught without a place for dad to go, this would not be good at all. It does not make since to me at all. It's not like your a normal person renting a home or apartment and making to much noise. It's a case of them being ill and the home should not take them in unless they truly handle all cases or stages of dementia. I also found out that they can get a machine to hook up to the phone that links it to dads doctors for a check up on the pacemaker, Now why they don't know this or if it's a case of not wanting to do it. I haven't a clue but I will be asking them tomorrow about it.