Give your houseplants a bath with mild soap and water to remove dust.
Check all houseplants for insect infestations.
Cut back on feeding and watering dormant houseplants.
Study the winter landscape - is there a spot that could use a lovely evergreen?
When using salt to melt ice on sidewalks and driveways, spread it carefully to avoid damage to nearby plant material.
Avoid traffic on the dormant lawn. Dry grass is easily damaged.
Supply fresh water for the birds.
February
Why not give a blooming plant, rather than cut flowers for Valentine's Day this year? Choices can range from inexpensive African violets, cyclamen or miniature roses to exotic orchids. Their flowers will last much longer than bouquets of floral arrangements and with continued care, many can be grown as houseplants and re-bloom.
Get your equipment ready to start seeds indoors: pots, trays and fluorescent lights. Help avoid diseases by using fresh potting soil that drains readily along with tools and containers that are clean or disinfected. Cool, soggy growing conditions and poor air circulation also favor disease development.
Plan your summer garden and purchase the seeds you will need—you will find the best selection now.
Improve your winter landscape by adding plants to your garden and landscape next spring. Spruce, pine, and fir trees are obvious choices, but consider ornamental grasses and other tall perennials that can stand up to the snow. Shrubs such as redtwig dogwood add color as do many flowering crabapples that hold their fruit all winter.
Prune dormant trees, shrubs, grapes, and berries.
Feed wild birds.
March
On a 40 to 50 degree day apply Lime Sulphur Spray to fruit trees, lilacs and flowering trees.
Prune dormant trees, shrubs, grapes, and berries middle to late March.
Paint, remove rust, and repair your garden tools.
Landscaping... It starts with a plan. If you are planning on landscaping this summer, now is the time to contact your Landscape Designer
Feed wild birds.
It's a good time to rototill soil additives like compost and manure into gardens.
Time to plant begonia bulbs.
Start your annual seeds indoors.
Pansies are hardy - plant some pansies in the ground or in pots.
Clean and mulch your flower beds.
Before new growth appears, cut back perennials and ornamental grasses.
April
Evaluate your garden tools, paint, remove rust and sharpen.
Consider starting a compost bin, recycle garden refuse.
Prune winter snow damaged branches from trees and shrubs.
Clean and aerate lawn.
Apply pre-emergent on your lawn in late April or early May.
Apply Dacthal around new trees, shrubs, roses.
Fertilize evergreens.
Cut back ornamental grasses.
Spray for bores and diseases in pine trees.
Plant trees and shrubs as soon as the ground is dry for digging.
Tree wrap should be removed in mid-April to prevent dark nesting areas for insects during the summer.
If cracks are present on your tree, be sure to keep the opening clean and free of rotting debris until the tree heals.
Plant cool crops in the vegetable garden.
Improve flower and vegetable garden soil by adding composted cow manure.
Landscaping... It starts with a plan. If you are planning on landscaping this summer, now is the time to contact your Landscape Designer
May
Apply post-emergent to stop broadleaf weeds in the lawn.
Plant annuals, herbs and vegetable gardens.
Uncover roses, remove all debris, fertilize and begin a weekly preventive maintenance program against black spot and powdery mildew.
Prune juniper, yews and spring flowering shrubs (after flowering).
Once nighttime temperatures have warmed, houseplants can go outside for the summer. Gradually acclimate them to brighter light.
Provide stakes or fencing for all plants before they reach full height.
Begin fruit tree spray program after blossom drop.
Fertilize evergreens once a month from May to August with acid fertilizer.
Seed new lawns in early to mid-May, while nights are still cool and spring precipitation is still on the way. Do not apply pre-emergent weed control to newly seeded areas.
Allow sun to warm the soil before applying mulch. Mulching too soon keeps the soil temperature cool longer, slowing both root and top growth.
Last frost date is May 10.
June
Don’t let hanging baskets or container gardens dry out, fertilize annual baskets every two weeks for best bloom.
Keep string trimmers away from tree trunks.
Plant asparagus and rhubarb through the end of June.
Stake young tomato plants.
Mark the location of tulips you wish to move in July.
Fruit trees can be easily damaged by high nitrogen fertilizers. At planting use a root stimulator fertilizer and each spring use a commercial fruit tree or garden fertilizer. Do not fertilize fruit trees after the 15th, do not use manure on fruit trees.
Water lawns deeply (1” per week).
Fertilize lightly, heavy fertilizer in the spring promotes lush growth that is prone to disease.
Watch for insects in roses, flowers and vegetables.
Apply milky spore or diazinon to lawn to prevent and control grubs.
Sow perennial seeds for late summer transplants.
Fertilize evergreens, fruit and flowering trees.
Fertilize perennial beds.
Spot spray stubborn weeds, or dig them after a soaking rain when soil is soft.
Most broadleaf herbicides are more effective when used in autumn, but can be applied in spring when temperatures range from the low 60’s to low 80’s, the air is calm and rain is not expected.
Pinch terminal growth on late-flowering perennials like asters and mums and newly planted annuls to make them bushier and produce more flowers.
Stake larger varieties of perennials.
Keep lawn mowed to prevent piling of clippings. Excess piling will not decompose quickly and will encourage lawn disease.
July
Do not apply nitrogen to your lawn…it can cause diseases.
Watch for small holes and green caterpillars in young cabbage, broccoli and related vegetables. Treat them with Bt while damage is still minor.
Remove spring bulb foliage as it browns.
If spring flowering bulbs did not do well, dig them up now, divide and replant.
Watch your lawn for grub damage.
Water new plantings deeply and less frequently.
Water lawns deeply (1” per week).
Cut back your poinsettia to make the plant bushy and filled with flowers in December.
Renew mulch as it decomposes; keep mulch away from the trunks of trees as this creates a breeding ground for disease and insect problems.
Add plant debris to the compost pile.
If you continue to feed the birds during the summer, you will double the number of feathered friends that visit you during the winter.
Prune maple trees.
Deadhead annuals, perennials and roses to extend blooming season.
Protect yourself and your family from mosquitoes: Eliminate areas of standing water. Keep gutters and downspouts clear. Repair or replace window screens. Keep lawn debris cleaned up.
Accent existing landscape plantings by adding container plants.
Prune dead, diseased or damaged limbs from trees or shrubs as soon as you detect them. Prune fruit trees to maximize yield and tree health.
Keep an eye on hanging baskets and containers. They may need watering everyday if the weather is hot and dry.
Inspect roses and other ornamental plants for signs of disease (particularly during wet weather) and insect pests.
Propagate woody perennials from softwood cuttings.
August
Apply second grub control.
Water new plantings if rainfall is insufficient.
Hydrangeas need large amounts of water during hot summer weather to keep them looking good. Fall is when hydrangeas develop their flower buds for next year, if they are wilted and under stress in late summer, fewer flower buds will develop.
Divide iris, peonies and spring blooming bulbs.
Insect control in roses, flowers and vegetables.
Harvest vegetables at their peak.
Take cuttings of your favorite geraniums to establish plants to save over the winter.
Check your junipers and other evergreens for spider mites and treat accordingly.
Stop fertilizing perennials, roses, shrubs, trees and evergreens after the 15th.
Stop shearing yews and arborvitae.
September
FALL IS FOR PLANTING, now is the best time to plant trees, shrubs and evergreens.
Apply lawn food.
Start a new lawn, spot seed, or overseed your existing lawn.
A tomato cage covered with an old pillow case makes a quick frost cover for tender plants.
Hang birdfeeders for fall and winter enjoyment, clean feeders that have been up all summer.
Spray broadleaf weeds.
Plant new fall mums for instant garden color.
Colorful fall leaves can be ironed between sheets of waxed paper and frozen for use in dried arrangements.
Prune birch trees.
Store pesticides, herbicides and fungicides in a location where they cannot freeze.
Bag leaves and set aside for cover on well-frozen perennials beds. In the spring they can be used as mulch or compost.
Place a sheet of clear plastic over your compost heap to raise the temperature and promote more rapid decomposition.
Empty decorative containers of both plants and soil, bring them indoors to avoid breakage from alternating freeze and thaw cycles.
October
Mid-summer blooming lilies (Asiatic, Oriental and trumpet) should be divided and replanted in October. Plant in loose soil, work in a small amount of super phosphate. Space the bulbs about four to six inches apart and cover them with four to six inches of soil. Lilies should be dug and replanted every three years.
Plant fall bulbs for spring bloom.
Mow lawns until the frost stops growth. Tall, matted grass encourages snow mold.
Dormant seed lawns in late October.
Apply winter turf food.
Cut back perennials after frost, clean flower beds.
Dig and store frost tender bulbs.
Water trees, shrubs and evergreens until the ground freezes.
Fertilize evergreens, fruit and flowering trees.
Fertilize bulb beds and perennials.
Drain hoses and irrigation systems. Have you scheduled your Irrigation Blow out yet? 338-0706
November
Apply anti-transpirant to evergreens to prevent dehydration on windy winter days.
Wrap young, thin barked trees, such as maple and honeylocust to protect from rodent and winter sun damage.
If we’re caught by an early snow storm, remember that it is safer to let warming temperatures melt snow off the evergreens than to knock it off. Branches bent by snow generally come back to their normal shape by spring.
Surround young fruit trees with hardware-cloth cylinders to keep deer, rabbits and voles from gnawing at the bark.
Clean and oil your garden tools, throw out broken pots and wash out sprayers and spreaders.
Kill wintering insects eggs with an application of dormant oil spray to your fruit trees, shrubs and hedges.
Mound soil around the base of roses, covering to at least 12” above the bud union. When the soil freezes, cover with straw or leaves to keep the mound frozen. A cylinder of wire mesh will hold the soil and insulation in place.
Do any necessary pruning after trees and shrubs are dormant.
Put spruce tips and other seasonal decorations in outdoor planters.
Start your paperwhites, amaryllis, and hyacinths for holiday blooms.
Mulch strawberry beds with 4” to 6” of straw before temperatures fall to the low teens.
Early November cover perennials with mulch to protect the crowns of the plants from the alternate freezing and thawing of the early spring and late fall seasons.
December
Make cleaning houseplant foliage part of sprucing up your home for the holidays. Clean leaves look best and capture more light for photosynthesis. Wash the surface and underside of the leaves with lukewarm water that's had a drop or two of mild dishwashing liquid added.
If you haven't already, protect your young deciduous trees from sunscald and animal damage by placing paper tree wrap or plastic protectors around the trunks.
If you have a new landscape or garden project in mind for next year, get out in the yard now and get a few measurements and photos to allow for planning during the winter months.
Keep bird feeders full to maximize the number of species that visit during the cold months.
Prune oak trees in late fall to early winter to prevent the spread of oak wilt.
