I'm a little worried about the pansies I planted in Oct as they are looking quite limp right now. Is it ok to water, or will that make things worse?

And was wondering for other plants as well (like my yews I planted this fall, or any plant, really).

What are your general rules of thumb?

Thanks.

As for conifers such as yews (and most plants, really) I keep watering regularly during the fall right until the ground begins to freeze. In our area this happens the first week of November, though this year it’s been very mild. It’s important that they enter winter with moist soil. Actually, I read that it’s important to water regularly all fall, but especially important during early fall and right before ground freeze up. If you have newly planted yews, this may be especially important as the roots have not yet spread out into the surrounding soil. Yews are especially sensitive to winter burn the first few years, so watering is important. You might want to possibly provide some shade protection as well (wrap in burlap, but not directly touching the plant) if they are in a very sunny spot.

Depending on the climate, if you get warm spells during winter and the ground dries out, you may have to water during winter. For us, the ground freezes in November and thaws in April, so rarely do I have to water during winter.