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Monthly To Do List

This page contains monthly suggestions for gardening in zone 6

JANUARY

  • Clean and sharpen tools

  • Cut branches off of Christmas trees and lay them in piles somewhere in the                      yard/garden/edge of property for winter protection for animals

  • Keep feeding your compost pile

  • Stake discarded Christmas trees for bird protection

  • Set plans and goals for new vegetable and flower gardens.  Get inspired by magazines,        Pinterest, and follow garden sites on Facebook and Instagram

  • Plant at least one more leafy green veggie in the garden

  • Carefully check houseplants for insect or spider mites

  • Inspect stored dahlias and cannas for mold.  Dust with fungicide if present

  • Check trees and shrubs for rabbit or deer damage.  Install tree guards or a deer/rabbit          repellant, if found, to prevent further damage​​

FEBRUARY

  • ​​Plant bulbs in containers and store in a cool area

  • Prune summer blooming woody plants and shrubs while dormant in late winter (or early spring) to encourage more new wood to form and for shaping.  This encourages new growth and flowers.  ex. Panicle Hydrangeas, roses, Rose of Sharon

  • Re-spray deer repellent on plants susceptible to rabbit and deer damage when above freezing

  • Trim fruit trees and or grapes when above freezing

  • Plan and pick one more leafy green veggie to plant in your garden

  • Clean your houseplant leaves
     

MARCH

  • Look for our first day to open on Facebook or our Website

  • Make sure your gardening tools are clean, sharpened, and ready

  • Start thinking about planting cold hardy crops such as kale, spinach, and lettuce

  • Spread manure/compost on your gardens or flowerbeds

  • Take a soil test of your lawn or gardens

  • Overseed your lawn after snow melts

  • Rake out snow mold

  • Apply lime if necessary

  • Trim dead wood from roses

  • Trim type C clematis to the ground

  • Remove tree guards, wrap, or burlap

  • Cut back ornamental grasses

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APRIL

  • Transplant and/or fertilize houseplants

  • Check houseplants for insects/disease

  • Spray deer repellant or small animal repellant on shrubs, trees and plants

  • Repair outdoor trellis' and fences

  • Repaint pots and outdoor containers

  • Celebrate Earth Day, April 22,  by purchasing a tree seedling at your favorite garden center :D

  • Prune roses

  • Apply Seed Starter 101 for lawn patching

  • ​Trim any perennials and grasses still standing, cut off any hydrangea blooms

  • Plant pansies, ranunculus, snapdragons, trees, shrubs and roses

  • Divide perennials​

  • Get your hummingbird feeders ready!

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MAY

  • Hummingbirds return

  • Prepare flower beds

  • Watch weather for frost/freeze to cover tender plants and shrubs

  • Our shrubs, perennials and hanging baskets make a wonderful gift for mom

  • Mother's Day is the 2nd Sunday of May

  • Fertilize containers and hanging baskets once per week for healthy plants with Jack's Classic products

  • Check the weekly forecast for frost to determine a safe time to plant annuals

  • Apply the natural and organic fertilizer, Azalea-Tone, by Espoma, to your Azaleas

  • Start spraying insecticide on susceptible plants with BioAdvanced

  • Apply Dairy Doo, Healthy Garden and All-Purpose fertilizer to your in-ground gardens

  • Select your annual flowers and vegetable plants

  • Mulch around your fruit trees

  • Remove seed stalks off from rhubarb plants

  • By the end of May, it's safe to plant annual flowers and vegetables and move houseplants outdoors​

  • Apply Safe Green Lawn around Memorial Day. Read here for more tips

  • It's important to fertilize your container pots and hanging baskets once per week throughout the growing season!

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JUNE

  • Look for early strawberries to harvest

  • Rhododendrons are flowering

  • Check flowering plants, trees and shrubs for insects and disease spray with Bio Advanced 3 in 1 Insect Disease Mite spray

  • Fertilize your hanging baskets and container pots 1 to 2 times per week with Jack’s Classic products

  • Weed your gardens weekly

  • Fertilize your trees and shrubs with Plant-Tone 

  • Mid-June to 4th of July trim back perennial mums by 1/3 or 1/2 it's height

  • Use Bio Advanced Rose and Flower to kill insects and other pests

  • Trim and shape evergreens and deciduous shrubs

  • Fertilize and weed!!!

JULY

  • Keep weeding and fertilizing!  It's a marathon not a sprint!

  • Regularly check and harvest fresh vegetables

  • Apply Safe Green Lawn around July 4

  • Deadhead dead flowers

  • Monitor for diseases and insects and try Bio Advanced 3 in 1 Insect Disease Mite spray

  • Fertilize your hanging baskets and container pots 1 to 2 times per week with Jack’s Classic products

  • It's OK to divide most perennials, lilies and iris' now.

  • Give your petunias, calibrachoa, and verbena a mid-summer haircut

  • Replace water in birdbaths or any stagnant water weekly to control mosquitoes

  • Watering plants deeply at ground level early morning is the best during hot/dry/windy days

  • Check hanging baskets and container pot DAILY for watering

  • Trim flowers off of herbs such as basil, mint and oregano to prevent bitterness

  • Shape and prune hedges

  • Fertilize roses

AUGUST

  • Daily check your plants. Water once per day.  If hot, dry, or windy, you may have to water two times per day

  • Keep inspecting your flowers and vegetables for bugs and diseases

  • Deadhead flowers to help produce more blooms

  • Fertilize hanging baskets and container pots

  • Keep checking for ripened summer vegetables

  • Replace perennials that didn't fare well this summer or plant new ones to fill in bare areas

  • Avoid pruning trees and shrubs to help prepare for hardening for winter

  • Divide and transplant hostas, lilies and other perennials 

  • Start thinking about planting spring flowering bulbs

  • Kill weeds and invasive grasses now to re-seed you lawn in September

  • Start moving houseplants outdoors to shadier spots to help them get ready for the big move indoors!

  • Plant fall mums!

SEPTEMBER

  • Keep weeding your gardens

  • Continue to deadhead annual and perennial flowers to encourage more blooms​

  • Purchase mums from Westside Garden Center!

  • Refresh your annual containers and pots with cool season flowers like: pansies, snapdragons, asters, ornamental cabbage, kale and mums - we have those to!

  • Apply the last round of fertilizer to your lawns

  • Divide and re-plant perennials and water well

  • Remove annuals that are sad from not getting enough sunlight

  • Plant trees, shrubs and perennials now - we have a great selection!

  • Harvest crops

  • Fill in empty spots with late flowering plants like sedum, mums, and asters

  • Walk through your gardens and take notes or photos to make plans for next year

  • Move indoor plants back inside

  • Keep frost blankets handy for early frosts

  • Purchase spring flowering bulbs from Westside Garden Center!

OCTOBER

  • Inspect houseplants for bugs and spray with insecticide before bringing indoors

  • Plant your favorite tree, shrub, or perennial to establish before winter

  • Finish weeding to prevent seeds from spreading or seeds that can overwinter

  • Clean up dropped fruit and dead leaves from trees - compost or throw away material that looks diseased or bug infested

  • Transplant most trees, shrubs, and perennials

  • Purchase and plant spring bulbs

  • Dig up and store tender bulbs like dahlias after the first hard frost

  • Don't cut back ornamental grasses, wildlife will enjoy them and they will give beautiful winter interest

  • ​Cut back blackberry and raspberry canes when done producing fruit

  • Prepare beds with organic material like Dairy Doo to increase healthy soil, you only need 1/8" 

  • Winterize ponds and water features, clean with Simple Green

  • Protect pots or planters by covering with tarps or bring indoors

  • Peak fall foliage prediction is mid to end of October

  • Apply Plant-tone for fall feeding

  • Stop watering Christmas Cactus for 30 days to set buds

NOVEMBER

  • Add leaves to your garden and till under in the spring

  • There's still time to plant your favorite tree or shrub

  • Bring your pots and planters to Westside Garden Center for storage!  We'll schedule a pickup time and plant them up for you to pickup in the spring!

  • Purchase gift cards to Westside Garden Center for holidays and birthdays before we close!

  • Protect your pots and planters from freezing and cracking by covering them or bring them inside.

  • Finish weeding

  • Store hoses and sprinklers

  • Cut roses back to 2 feet

  • Purchase spring bulbs from Westside Garden Center and plant

  • Make preparations to protect your trees and shrubs from the deer or apply deer repellent like Everguard.  Everguard™ Repellent formulas are commercially developed and safe to use around children and pets. Everguard™ Deer & Rabbit Granular Repellent product is proven effective and will not wash off in rain or irrigation. Can be used as a barrier repellent.

  • Don't cut back ornamental grasses ​

  • Use Dairy Doo on all your gardens to increase healthy soil, you only need 1/8"

  • Purchase and plant amaryllis bulbs from Westside Garden Center 4-6 weeks before Christmas to have flowers

  • Start watering your Christmas Cactus

December​

  • Hopefully you've accomplished most your outdoor chores, or at least the important stuff!  Now there is less outdoor chores and more time to enjoy your family and friends throughout the winter and the holidays!  Here are a few things you can keep doing this month before preparing for a new year:

  • ​Feed the birds

  • Check your houseplants for unwanted bugs and diseases

  • Enjoy your family and friends throughout the holidays

  • Inspect your trees and shrubs for deer and rabbit damage

  • Stake your Christmas tree outdoors for the wildlife to enjoy

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