Calendar of Care

WINTER: January - February

Cut branches off your live Christmas trees and use them to protect newly planted or tender shrubs and perennials. Beg for more from your friends and neighbors. Cover bulb plantings and the rest of the perennials.

If the ground is not frozen, protect evergreens from drying by giving them a good watering. If it is, have them sprayed with a protectant (anti-transpirant).

Are deer a problem? Continue spraying plants with repellants. Make notes on what your deer do not eat and perhaps add more of those next Spring.

Check out your hand tools:make sure they are sharpened, oiled and ready to go.

Do you have Winter interest in your garden? Look out the window….what do you see? Berries?, colored foliage?, colored stems?, flowers? Yes, we said FLOWERS! Think about adding hollies, viburnum, Winter blooming bulbs, witchhazels, helleborus or pansies this year.

Check out those catalogues and magazines, cut out pictures, dream, make plans for Spring.

Cut back grasses and perennials by the end of February. Do you have a composter?

Many over-grown flowering shrubs can be revitalized by ‘copicing’ (cut to the ground). Summer blooming spirea, red twig dogwood, sandcherry, quince, beautyberry, coralberry etc. are candidates. They will look amazing this Summer!

Prune deciduous trees and shrubs by:

taking out dead or broken branches

taking out branches that are rubbing one another

removing suckers at the base of ornamental trees

The timing of more extensive pruning depends on the Tree.

Cut some branches from Spring-blooming trees and shrubs to force indoors.

Take a deep breath Spring is coming!!

EARLY SPRING: March - April

Did you cut down those grasses, liriope and perennials? If not, do it now!

Continue pruning

Pick up leaves and Winter debris; have you considered a composter?

Make your yard look perfect by sod edging and re-mulching, followed by a pre-emergent to prevent weed seed from germinating.

Put down slow-release or organic fertilizer in shrub beds and gardens.

As the weather improves, loosen the mulches and evergreen covers around perennials, roses and tender shrubs.

Apply dormant oil to trees and shrubs to kill over-wintering insects.

Place pumps back in the water gardens. Divide and transplant waterlilies and lotus (every 3-4 years) before new growth starts.

Irrigations system can be set up for the season. Have you considered using a moisture sensor to regulate the system? It is good for your plants, for your pocketbook and for the planet.

As soon as the ground is workable, vegetable, annual and new perennial gardens can be turned over, compost added and a balanced fertilizer worked into them.

Transplant any shrubs before they leaf out and keep them well watered all season.

Watch for tent worms. Remove their webs as soon as they appear.

Crocus and daffodils are open. Take a moment to enjoy.

LATE SPRING: May

Great time of year. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! Lots to see. The Earth is practically bursting – maybe you need a spot for a bench?

Keep up with weeding ( the pre-emergent should have helped).

Trim back bulb foliage as it dies down.

Finish removing the winter covers. Chip and shred , if you can, and compost.

When the weather settles, prune roses and start them on a regular maintenance program. [Note: buy ‘own-root’ roses to reduce losses. What a great improvement; even the hybrid teas are being grown this way! ]

This is a BIG time for planting! Even annuals can go in toward the end of the month.

Patio plants and house plants can be brought out and gradually acclimated after the temperatures settled.

Watch for insect damage and treat early before they multiply. Call Silvis Group if you have questions. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Keep that mower height at 3 inches.

Are you sitting on that bench yet?

EARLY SUMMER: June

This is a beautiful time of year. Spend time when you can in your garden…it’s a great stress reliever!

Finish up those things that did not get done in May.

Keep weeding or spritz individual weeds with non-selective herbicide.

Continue to water any new plantings or lawns regularly.

Top-dress gardens with 1 to 2 inches of compost.

Deadhead flowers

Cut Fall-blooming perennials so they do not become floppy and to produce heavier bloom e.g. mums, tall asters, lespedza, boltonia.

Tuck annuals into spaces left by Spring bulbs to extend color through the season.

HIGH SUMMER: July-August

This is usually our hot dry time. Water as needed (water deeply to encourage deep root systems).

Protect delicate new plants.

Install a fresh layer of mulch if needed.

Pruning of evergreens can start now.

If you need a new lawn or to renovate an old one, mid-August through September is an ideal time to do this.

Sit in the shade with a cold drink. Butterfly bushes, black-eyed susan, daylilies, cone-flowers, clethra, rose of Sharon, hydrangeas are all putting on a show.

Grass is not growing fast, so keep to 3 inches. Do not cut too often. The grass is resting, and so can you.

Keep on checking for insects.

Did you get those landscape dreams and plans done? This is a good time to finalize those plans and get them started in September when vacations are done and the weather is cooler.

EARLY FALL: September

Mums, kale, pansies, Fall crocus and asters are now available. Time to pull some of those annuals and replace with fresh color.

If you need a new lawn, there is still time.

Do you have a deer problem? Wrap those tree trunks early to protect them from rubbing. Consider spraying the landscape with repellants for the Winter every 4 to 6 weeks.

Fall is a great time for planting.

Turn over bare spaces in the vegetable garden and perhaps, plant cool season crops.

Watch for Fall webworms and pull down while they are small.

FALL: October - November

Tropical plants and houseplants should be cleaned and gradually brought into the house. Patio plants can be brought into an unheated basement or garage as long as it does not actually freeze.

Pull out the rest of the annuals. Replace with pansies or mums or asters – Or just turn over the soil and cover with an inch of compost or mulch.

Plant Winter and Spring flowering bulbs Try to include very early, small bulbs such as snow crocus, winter aconites, snowdrops or glory of the snow to give color in January and February.

If deer and /or rodents have been a problem in the past, plant the above as well as daffodils (now available in good pinks), squill, grape hyacinths, allium, fritillaria (big and small).

Pot some bulbs to force for the Winter.

Remove falling leaves regularly. Grass is actively growing and preparing for winter and it must have sun to do this.

After a hard frost, dig up tender perennials e.g. dahlia. Gladiolus etc. and store for the winter.

After several hard frosts, it is time to clean up perennial borders. Cut down whatever is brown (unless you like the way they look in the Winter). Add to compost. Apply a pre-emergent into the empty spaces.

EARLY WINTER: December

Continue removing leaves.

Pull pumps from water gardens that might freeze solid, clean and store.

Trim foliage and drop pots to bottom of pond.

Set heater on pond surface.

Blow out irrigation systems.

Make sure evergreens and newly planted shrubs and trees go into winter well watered.

Go through the shed and:

Clean up pots and put out of your way.

Clean, sharpen and oil hand tools for winter storage.

Clean up and drain power tools, tune up the mower and sharpen blades.

Go through left-over chemicals. Box up any that need to be thrown away. Set aside. DEP has an annual drop-off day for homeowners. Be sure all liquids are stored where they will not freeze. Make sure all labels are accurate.

Cover tender shrubs with organic matter.

Install burlap fence to protect tender shrubs if absolutely necessary.

Set out reflectors on edge of driveway where necessary.