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January
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
February
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
Sow seeds indoors for tender perennials
March
Order seeds and seed starting systems
Sow seeds indoors or cold frame
Remove mulch from early bulbs
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Sow frost-tolerant perennials indoors
Clean, oil and sharpen tools
Order or construct a cold frame for starting vegetables outdoors
April
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals indoors
Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
Feed cool-season lawns
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Sow frost-tolerant perennials indoors
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses
Prune roses (when temperatures are above freezing)
May
Set out cool-season annuals
Sow seeds of warm-season annuals outdoors
Set out summer-flowering bulbs
Plant balled-and-burlapped, container, and bare-root fruit trees
Apply dormant spray to fruit trees before buds swell
Plant permanent ground covers and cool-season lawns
Feed cool-season lawns and loosen thatch
Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
Plant seedlings of cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for cool-weather vegetables
Sow seeds for frost-tolerant perennials
Divide and replant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
Plant bare-root and container roses
Prune roses (when temperatures are above freezing)
Uncover roses for spring and apply dormant spray
Plant bare-root, balled-and-burlapped, and container trees, shrubs, and vines
Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
Plant summer-blooming shrubs and vines
Plant frost-tolerant trees
Plant needle-leafed evergreens
June
Apply sulfur to control fungus problems on apple trees, roses and grapevines
Set out seedlings of warm-season annuals and vegetables
Activate and stir compost piles weekly
Plant summer-flowering bulbs
Pinch off first flower buds on chrysanthemum and carnation plants to coax bigger blooms
Set out cool-weather herbs such as chives and parsley
After their leaves yellow and dry up, divide and transplant crowded spring bulbs
Plant groundcovers
Fertilize and aerate established lawns
Divide and transplant spring-blooming perennials after they flower
Fertilize, prune and thin out spring-flowering shrubs
Plant balled-and-burlapped and container trees, shrubs and vines
July
Create your own gardener's gold! Start a compost pile.
Now that temperatures have warmed, plant summer-flowering bulbs and tubers
Sow biennial seeds (hollyhocks, English daisies, foxgloves, violas, Canterbury bells, and sweet William) for flowers next year
Tall flowers, such as lupines and foxgloves, need staked support against the wind
To maintain freshness, cool fruits and veggies (except tomatoes) as quickly as possible after harvest
Relax -- there's no need to fertilize the lawn in midsummer
Harvest veggies regularly; avoid rotting produce that attracts insects and reduces yields
Cut stems of annual herbs just above a pair of leaves, allowing 4 to 6 inches of plant to remain for regrowth and additional harvest
Leave the larvae on dill and carrots for beautiful fall butterflies
Note the native plants in bloom this month and include them in your own wildflower garden
August
Plant hardy Oriental and Asiatic lilies
Sow seeds of wildflowers, spring-blooming annuals and fall veggies
Aerate, dethatch and fertilize the lawn
Start moving tender plants indoors to acclimatize them or take cuttings
Pick herbs to dry for winter soups, stews and baking
As first frosts threaten, pick mature green tomatoes to ripen in a dark, cool place indoors
Purchase containerized trees and shrubs to plant now
Plan ahead for an extended harvest by building or buying a cold frame
Begin to dig up summer bulbs to store indoors
Order spring bulbs to force indoors
September
Prune tomato roots to hasten ripening
Winterize trees and shrubs with deep waterings
Dethatch and aerate lawns
Sow salad greens and get the coldframe ready
Clean up rose bed and apply fungicide one last time to mildew and blackspot prone varieties
Harvest apples; put spoiled fruit in compost pile
Clean off birdfeeders and restock with seed
Deadhead chrysanthemum plants to prolong bloom
Plant garlic for harvest next summer
Sow wildflower seed for bloom next spring
October
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Protect roses for winter
November
Cut back on houseplant feeding (do not feed dormant houseplants)
December
Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
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