Year-Round Maintenance Schedule
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January
- Spread winter mulch in beds — use leaves, branches from Christmas trees, woodchips, or mulch to prevent heaving
- Go through your garden and inspect for winter damage
- Prune damaged branches and dead wood on woody shrubs and trees (test for dead branches by scratching bark and looking for green)
- Do some formative pruning on summer or fall flowering woody shrubs (butterfly bush, itea, spirea...)
- Fertilize acid-loving shrubs, if not already done in fall
- Water evergreen and broad-leaf evergreen shrubs during warm spells
- Protect shrubs planted under the roofline from snow, remove heavy snow from shrubs to prevent damage
- Use sand, gravel, urea or kitty litter instead of salt on driveway or paths near garden
February
- Plant seeds indoors that need 10-12 weeks before transplanting
- Continue looking for plant damage and pruning dead wood
- LIGHTLY prune the ends of spring-flowering shrubs to “force” them
- Prune deciduous trees, EXCEPT river birch, flowering cherries, maples, and lindens
- Continue removing heavy snow from shrubs
- Do formative pruning on barberry, summer-flowering shrubs; do regenerative pruning on shrubs with colorful branches, such as red or yellow twig dogwood
- Apply weed pre-emergent
March
- *Know the last spring frost date for your area*
- Beware of frosts after thaw; make sure any unprotected plants are mulched
- Plant seeds indoors that need 8-10 weeks before transplant
- Continue pruning deciduous trees; do regenerative pruning on shrubs and vines that flower on new wood/have colorful branches
- DON’T prune spring-flowering shrubs except to correct problems (this will be done after they’ve bloomed)
- Transplant un-established shrubs before they bud out
- Cut back ornamental grasses
- Fertilize early-flowering bulbs
- Apply weed pre-emergent if not done already in February
April
- When ground has thawed out, start digging/prepping new beds
- Remove all winter mulches and composts
- Start weeding, where necessary
- Water all new plantings frequently (2-3x per week) and thoroughly (30+ minutes)
- Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials, containers, or ball and burlap
- Replant shrubs, trees, and perennials that have “heaved” out of the soil
- Finish all transplants (must be done before buds have pushed out)
- Finish cutting back ornamental grasses
- Do formative pruning on all summer- and fall-blooming shrubs
- Cut dead wood out of hydrangeas, cut all live branches back to 2 buds
- Transplant and divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials
- Re-mulch all beds
- Add compost to perennial beds
- Plant annual seeds
- Repair lawn patches that need seed/sod
- Deadhead spring flowers; prune when done flowering
May
- Weed all beds thoroughly
- Beds should be re-mulched
- Keep watering new and transplanted shrubs (2-3x per week)
- Prune back spring-flowering shrubs after they’ve finished blooming (forsythia, lilac, azalea) and any dead wood
- Continuously prune clematis to cut out dead/weak growth
- In flowering trees, remove dead wood only
- Prune or hedge evergreens
- Plant potted roses, fertilize
- Finish dividing spring and fall blooming perennials
- Stake peonies, delphiniums, and garden phlox early
- Repair lawn patches, seed/sod
- Plant annual seeds
- Start planting annuals outside AFTER last frost
June
- Heavily and thoroughly water new plants and transplants, preferably early in the morning, and make sure they are well mulched (to retain water during heat/dry spells)
- Water all plants heavily and infrequently when not in extreme heat or drought conditions, to build drought resistance
- Weed as necessary — for a plant to be truly healthy, it must be weed-free!
- Throw healthy grass clippings into compost pile
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs, deadhead mountain laurel, rhododendron, azalea, lilacs (when done flowering) and shrub roses (to encourage continued blooms)
- Treat roses to prevent fungus; fertilize
- Continue planting shrubs, trees and perennials (especially containers)
- Prune evergreens
- Plant annual seeds
- Pinch back mums when they’ve grown 4-6"
July
- Turn compost pile
- Continue weeding
- Water during extreme heat/drought
- Continue deadheading roses and flowering perennials to encourage new blooms
- Deadhead spring blooms, if not already done
- Prune woody vines after blooming
- Prune birch, flowering cherries, lindens, and maples
- Finish transplanting annuals into garden (finish EARLY July)
- Pinch back mums, asters, dahlias, cosmos, and zinneas
- Cut back spring perennials and/or damaged and spent ones
- Begin to dig and divide spring-blooming perennials (iris, some early flowering daylilies)
August
- Continue weeding, watering during dry spells
- Stop pruning trees and shrubs
- Don’t fertilize after mid-August
- Continue dead-heading flowers to prolong bloom time
- Cut hollyhocks down to ground after blooming
- Add fall perennials to garden
- Seed new lawns after August 15th. Best time of year to seed is generally from August 15th through October 15th.
September
- Water during dry spells
- Plant roses, trees, shrubs, and perennials — water heavily once a week
- Mow lawn frequently, fertilize, plant grass seed until soil cools
- De-thatch and aerate lawn
- Cut back spent perennials
- Divide perennials and peonies
- Plant tulips
- Uproot annuals, throw them into compost pile
- This is the best time of year to seed new lawns, warm days and cool nights facilitate rapid weed-free turf establishment
October
- Have soil pH tested; make necessary amendments
- Add leaves to compost pile
- Transplant established trees and shrubs after defoliated
- Best time of year to seed new lawns, warm days and cool nights facilitate rapid weed-free turf establishment
- Seed until frost; discontinue after frost
- Avoid planting flats of evergreen groundcover (pachysandra, ivy, myrtle) after frost
- Plant all trees, shrubs, perennials
- Clean up perennials beds after frosts (cut back, clean up what has died down)
- Plant hardy spring-flowering bulbs
- Dig and store summer-flowering bulbs and tubers
November
- Adjust soil pH
- Rake leaves off lawn before snow
- Spray broad-leaf evergreens with Wilt-Pruf®
- Water broad-leaf evergreens on warm days
- Fertilize trees and shrubs (that have been planted for at least a year) when dormant
- Finish cutting back perennials; mulch perennial garden after ground has frozen
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs until the ground freezes
- Transplant established trees and shrubs after they lose their leaves
December
- Apply winter mulches after ground freezes
- Bring in clay and cement pots and statues
- Use sand or kitty litter on ice instead of salt
- Water evergreens, especially newly planted ones, when ground is not frozen or during warm spells
- Protect shrubs under roofline from snow damage
- Make sure all broad-leaf evergreens have been sprayed (Wilt-Pruf®)
- Plan your garden for next year