Horticultural calendar

January

1. Use Christmas Evergreens to mulch over perennials, bulbs, or rock garden plants. Grow your own Christmas greenery for years to come.  Plants like holly, magnolia, etc.
2. Put bonemeal on lilacs every 2/3 years
3. Save wood ashes from the fireplace for the flowering garden, not on evergreens.
4. Cut off and remove vines that are strangling trees; among these are ivy, wisteria, Virginia creeper and bittersweet.
5. Feed & water for the birds.
6. Jan., Feb., and Mar. are good months to prune grapes and trees. Prune Maples in Feb.
7. Snow should be carefully brushed off evergreens, especially boxwood, before it freezes into ice to prevent breaking the branches.
8. January is the month for dreaming and planning.  However, do not order more seeds and plants than you can handle easily.
9. Humidity may be increased for houseplants by placing plants on trays lined with pebbles and filled with water to the base of the pot.  Keep fallen leaves and other debris picked up around roses.
10. If it’s a dry winter, soak specimen trees & evergreens (5-10 gallons) when temperatures are above 40 degrees, at least once a month.

February

1. Put manure on evergreens early in the month so it will not burn the roots.  Keep away from main trunk.
2. To prevent and control scale use dormant spray, if weather permits, on lilacs, roses, evergreens, and fruit trees when the temperature is not lower than 40⁰ or above 70⁰.  Volck oil is safer when there is a chance of spray drifting.  Check instructions on package.
3. Prune only late flowering shrubs.  Never prune early blooming variety of shrubs until after they have bloomed.
4. 'Safe r Soap' spray is good for houseplants to rid them of lice and spiders.
5. Touch mealy bugs with cotton swab dipped in alcohol.
6. Order shrubs and trees for March planting.
7. Old straggly lilacs may be cut to within a foot of the ground in late winter.  Mulch soil with manure or compost.  Keep well watered during hot, dry summer.  In two years a compact flowering bush will develop.
8. Read garden writers: Christopher Lloyd, Henry Mitchell, John Brooks, Rosemary Verey, Anne Lovejoy, Gertrude Jeykl, Beverley Nichols, Miriam Osler, Elizabeth Lawrence or Vita Sackville-West.

March

1. Prune or shape up all evergreens. Keep feeding the birds.
2. Fertilize azaleas with Hollytone fertilizer.  Fertilize broad-leaf evergreens, including boxwood with a mixture of 1 part bonemeal, 1 part cottonseed meal and 2 parts 5-10-5 thoroughly mixed.
3. Boxwood should not be cultivated since the roots are shallow and may be injured.
4. Fertilize lawns.  Reseed bad places.  A light application of 10-10-10 over the entire garden will stimulate bloom and growth.
5. Fertilize bearded iris and lilacs with Gardentone.  Feed trees if necessary.  Plant fruit and deciduous trees, dogwoods, shrubs and magnolias.  Magnolias need full sun.
6. Set out pansy plants for spring color.
7. Loosen the mulch over perennials, but do not remove yet.  Push perennials back into soil if heaved up.
8. Begin to clean up the lawn and shrub borders.  Clean out, and put up birdhouses.
9. Anytime you transplant ANY plant, soak it well 24 hrs before moving.
10. Place branches of forsythia, pussywillow, and ornamental quince, cherries and crab apple in deep water in a warm room to force blooms open.

April

1. Cut back to the ground any shrubs that have been winter killed. They may send out new shoots.  Plant azaleas. Feed after blooming.
2. The perennial borders should be cleaned up as soon as the ground is sufficiently dry and clumps divided. A thorough cultivation of your borders in April is worth three in June.
3. Trim winter burn off boxwood.
4. Plant ground covers (not ivy) where lawn maintenance is difficult. Periwinkle, pachysandra or ajuga are a few.
5. If you have not fed your lawn apply a high nitrogen fertilizer.
6. Fertilize lilies with Gardentone
7. Plant annuals in late April.
8. Plant clematis where it gets at least six hours of sunshine a day. They require rich, well-drained loam and a 2-inch mulch. Work a little Vigoro and lime into the soil twice a season. To avoid wilt, plant crown 4" below surface.
9. Disbud side buds on peonies, leaving only one main bud. Divide chrysanthemums; they like plenty of air and sunshine. Do not plant after the end of May. Pinch tops off when 6-8 inches high and again the first of July. Spray azaleas for lace bugs. Keep well watered and mulched. Also keep rhododendrons well mulched.
10. Spray dogwood and fruit trees with water for borer protection.
11. Observe Arbor Day by planting at least one tree.
12. Prune flowering shrubs after blooming.
13. Plant bare rooted roses and mound for three weeks.  Prune established roses when forsythia blooms. Apply dormant spray if not used in late winter. Feed and begin spray when needed.  Gradually wash away mounds.
14. Spray for berries: 2 capfuls of Listerine per gallon.

May

1. Fertilize bulbs with bulbtone after they have bloomed, and let foliage die down (to store up food in bulb for next year's bloom) before transplanting or storing for fall planting.
2. Set out annuals after danger of frost, May 15 in Valley.
3. Cut back candytuft after blooming.
4. Hose or spray with Listerine mix English boxwood and Alberta spruce for red spider.
5. Rhododendron blossoms must be removed with care in order not to decrease or prevent bloom next year. Old clusters should be snapped off when partly dry; prevents seedpods from forming which sap strength of plant. Keep plants well mulched.
6. Geraniums are heavy feeders. Follow a regular fertilization program, 5-10-5 or soluble 20-20-20,. In containers, dilute solution a bit, 1/3 strength every 2 wks.
7. After danger of frost, plant dahlias.  Plant gladioli at ten-day intervals (when trees begin to leaf) until mid July.  Fertilize chrysanthemums monthly until color can be seen in buds.
8. Set out petunias, marigolds, dwarf ageratum, begonias and other annuals and perennials.
9. Clip dead blooms off lilacs.
10. Water and spray roses as necessary.  Thumb prune unwanted buds. Should average 1" water a week.
11. Disbud, wash off aphids with strong spray of water.
12. Set out tender veggies.
13. Soak overnight in warm water all seeds( veggie or flower) before planting
14. Divide silver leaf plants now.

June

1. Spray delphiniums with fungicide to prevent rust and mildew. Cut back after blooming.
2. Continue planting gladioli.
3. Cut off old peony blooms, leaving as much stem as possible. Fertilize.
4. Late in month daffodils may be dug and divided and replanted. Dig tulips to be replanted in fall.
5. Set your houseplants out of doors in a SHADY, protected place. Feed. They keep well if pot is set in the ground to the rim.
6. Do not let your iris go to seed. After blooming, all stalks should be removed; may be divided until Sept.
7. When weather turns dry, and you begin to water your garden or lawn, remember to soak, not sprinkle! Average 1" a week.
8. Keep all dead blossoms cut off of everything. Feed all roses after first bloom.
9. On new peony bushes snap off buds when pea size. Let bloom after established and thriving.
10. Trim mums, phlox and daisies back by half now for better blooms.
11. Take cuttings of woody shrubs, new growth only, plant in half sand, half potting mix, leave only 2 leaves & keep moist.

July

1. Set lawn mower blade higher.
2. Cut back new wisteria shoots to about three feet to encourage formation of flower buds next year.
3. Keep faded blooms cut off annuals, and cut back stems to encourage new growth and prolong their blooming period.
4. Oriental poppies may be divided when dormant.
5. Dust phlox with sulfur to prevent mildew.
6. Daylilies like a sunny/part shade location,. Can divide anytime of year.
7. Sow perennial seeds for next year's bloom.
8. Never set columbine plants deeper than they grew before.
9. Spray roses early in the morning when needed. During hot weather water weekly. A soil soaker is best to prevent leaves from becoming wet. Prune climbing roses. Prune to keep rose bushes open to the sun and air. Discard stems less than pencil size. A strong jet of water will remove aphids. Keep faded roses cut.
10. Order bulbs for fall planting.
11. Cut globethisle to ground for re-bloom.

August

1. Prepare beds for new bulbs. Dig soil at least twelve inches deep in a sunny location. Work bonemeal/compost into beds, sand if needed, for drainage, gypsum if heavy clay.
2. Keep seed pods/dead blooms clipped from annuals.
3. Cut bloom from phlox. Fertilize for second blooming.
4. Sow forget-me-not seed now.
5. Feed and disbud dahlias.
6. Transplant oriental poppies after they become leafless. Cut Santolina back.
7. Spray zinnias, peonies and phlox with 1 T baking soda & few drops of dishwashing liquid in one gallon of water if they become infested with powdery mildew. Repeat every few days.
8. Divide hemerocallis, pinks and hosta.
9. Feed iris bonemeal now.
10. Hose again for red spider if apparent on English boxwood or Alberta spruce.
11. Feed peonies.
12. Keep pulling weeds. Watering the night before will make this easier.
13. Good time to transplant boxwood and other evergreens. Soak 24 hrs before moving.

September

1. Keep your borders clean this month. It will save hours of labor next spring.
2. Phlox may be divided now as well as early spring.
3. Peonies may be divided and replanted no more than two inches below the surface.  Soak 24 hrs before digging  Add bonemeal and super phosphate to the soil. The soil below the plant must be packed down so that it will not settle when planting is completed. Water thoroughly. Once established peonies will bloom for years!
4. Divide lilies-of-the-valley. Feed with bonemeal.
5. Divide bleeding heart if needed.
6. Sow hardy annual seeds.
7. Re-seed lawn where needed. Feed.
8. Plant lily bulbs in a well-drained sunny place.
9. Bring houseplants indoors. Repot and put on porch or protected place until they become acclimated to the change.
10. Plant bulbs, daffodils, narcissus, scillas, snow drops and anemones the last of the month. Tulips need not be planted until later.
11. Clip hedge for the last time this season.
12. Good time to transplant or set out evergreens. Keep well watered.
13. Divide perennials except silver leaf ones
14. Move and divide any perennials that are crowded, mulch well and water deeply.

October

1. Continue planting spring flowering bulbs until ground is frozen; delay with tulips until later in month or Nov. Move and divide any perennials that are crowded. Mulch well and water deeply.
2. As soon as frost blackens the tops, dig dahlia roots – allow them to dry in a shady place before storing for winter. Dust with sulfur to prevent rotting. Pack in vermiculite.
3. Gladioli bulbs may be dug now and treated the same as dahlias. Keep from freezing.
4. Cut phlox stems to ground level, destroy leaves to prevent spread of the fungus that causes powdery mildew.
5. Cut peony stalks to ground level and destroy as a deterrent to botrytis blight.
6. Leaves should be removed from lawn before winter to prevent smothering the grass. Add leaves to compost pile.
7. Leave magnolia leaves under tree since they create their own fertilizer.
8. Mulch lily-of-the-valley with old cow manure or leaf mold.
9. Allow tuberous begonias to die back, then store in sand in a cool place.
10. Prune all soft growth from roses after first frost. Top canes for winter.  Pick up all fallen leaves.
11. Feed and reseed lawn.
12. Rake leaves out of beds, compost.

November

1. Tulips may be planted now.
2. Clean up the garden, destroy all diseased plants and leaves.
3. Scatter gardentone on established plantings of daffodils.
4. Plant lily bulbs in already prepared beds and mulch heavily. Dead leaves, other than oak, are not good for mulching.
5. Late fall is a good time to feed trees.
6. If there is any evidence of scale on shrubs or trees, spray with dormant spray, and again in early spring. Volk oil in spray.
7. After chrysanthemums have stopped blooming, cut stems 4-5 to the ground, destroy stems and dried leaves. After killing frost cover lightly with dried leaves or evergreen branches.
8. Make sure all evergreens and newly set plants go into winter with sufficient water in the soil. Withhold all winter mulching until the ground is frozen. Be careful when mulching not to cover crown of such plants as foxglove, pinks and Canterbury bells. Winter mulch prevents heaving of plants during alternate freezing and thawing.
9. Fertilize wisteria after leaves have fallen, never during spring or summer, to avoid too much growth and lack of bloom. Plant Wisteria in full sun.

December

1. Save wood ashes from fireplace for garden next spring. Wonderful for peonies.
2. Azaleas and rhododendrons should have mulch of oak leaves, pine needles, or pine bark for winter.
3. Brush snow off evergreens before it freezes on them to prevent breaking limbs.
4. Burlap screens should be placed around evergreens that may be burned or dried out by winter winds.
5. Clean all tools before storing for winter. Oil handles & paint them bright colors for easy finding.
6. Prune hollies & boxwood to use for Christmas decorations.
7. Clean all terrace furniture before storing for winter.
8. Check mulches for ground mice; if detected use pellets in runways.
9. Feed the birds.
10. No mulch against bark of trees.