Year-Round Maintenance Schedule

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

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 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
Prune evergreens
Plant annual seeds
Pinch back mums when they’ve grown 4-6″

July

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 flowering cherries and maples; birch and lindens can be lightly pruned.
Finish transplanting annuals into garden (finish EARLY July)
Pinch back mums, asters, dahlias, cosmos, and zinnias
Cut back spring perennials that are damaged or spent
Begin to dig and divide spring-blooming perennials (iris, some early-flowering daylilies)
Turn compost pile

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

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