JANUARY
- Inspect houseplants for white flies, spider mites and aphids.
- Inspect bulbs in storage. Discard bad ones.
- Expand personal knowledge through library visits, courses, catalogues,
etc.
- Plan your garden.
- Order flower and vegetable seeds. Decide which seeds should be started
inside.
- Try forcing amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus.
- Start slowest germinating seeds like begonias and geranium, also seeds for
early spring bloom e.g. pansy, verbena and dianthus.
FEBRUARY
- Propagate stem cuttings of geraniums, fuchsias, etc.
- Plant other slow seeds such as impatiens, pepper, eggplant, etc.
- Prune shade and fruit trees. Leave bleeders like maples and birches until
after they have leaves.
- Visit local city and nursery greenhouses.
- Check dates of annual garden shows.
MARCH
- Start tuberous begonias and caladiums in pots.
- Plant brassicas (cabbage family) and hardy annuals for April-May
plantings.
- Start tomatoes, lettuce and other fast growers late March to early April.
- Order summer flowering bulbs.
- Check and repair garden tools.
- Apply dormant spray to fruit trees and pest- prone shrubs when
non-freezing weather permits.
- Start forcing branches of spring-flowering shrubs and lily of the valley
root pips after buds start to swell.
- Prune summer-flowering shrubs and vines.
- Loosen up packed winter mulch and press back heaved perennials.
- plan to add a few native bird-attracting berry plants.
APRIL
- Prepare garden beds for planting. Dig in compost and other organic
material.
- Remove rose protection; prune and apply dormant spray before buds break.
- Treat birches against leaf miner.
- Plant trees, shrubs, perennials and biennial.
- Seed cool- weather vegetables such an peas, spinach, lettuce, onions,
beets ands frost resistant annuals such as larkspur, sweet peas and calendulas
outside.
- Rake lawn, repair damage and seed bare spots.
- Fertilize lawn with slow-release fertilizer.
- Apply crabgrass pre-emergence herbicide if required.
- Start lawn mowing only when needed.
- Organize a compost pile.
- Check out garden shows.
MAY
- Find out your average frost date and allow at least 2 weeks later
for tender transplants and warm weather plantings e.g. beans and corn.
- Harden off seedlings before transplanting.
- Consider protective measures against slugs, cutworms, earwigs and tent
caterpillars.
- Treat roses against black spot and aphids as required.
- Take notes and photos of bulb plantings for later changes and additions.
- Dead-head faded tulips and daffodils.
- Treat lawns against weeds and grubs as required.
- Start regular hoeing and hand-weeding of garden beds.
- Mulch newly planted seedlings and shrubs.
- Stake and tie trees, shrubs and vines as required.
- Plant tender summer bulbs. e.g. dahlias and glads.
JUNE
- Prune shrubs and trees after flowering.
- Prune evergreens and hedges.
- Stake or cage tomato plants, dahlias, glads, etc.
- Thin vegetable seedlings and plant successive crops.
- Seed flowering cabbage/kale into garden rows for later transplanting.
- Seed directly fast growers such as cosmos, calendula, lavatera and
marigolds.
- Move houseplants outside to protected locations.
- Deadhead faded blooms.
- Pinch back late bloomers such as mums, snapdragons, asters and dahlias.
- Weed and water garden beds regularly.
- Prepare cuttings of perennials, shrubs, roses, etc. for rooting.
JULY
- Fertilize roses, annuals and vegetables.
- Pinch back and stake straggly annuals.
- Mow, hoe, weed and water as required.
- Finish pruning spring-flowering shrubs and evergreens.
- Remove old raspberry canes and trim back strawberry plants after fruiting.
- Transplant flowering cabbage and kale.
- Turn compost.
AUGUST
- Sow fall vegetables e.g. spinach, lettuce.
- Prune climbing roses.
- Order spring-flowering bulbs. Try something different such as colchicum
for next fall.
- Plant fall-flowering perennials.
- Avoid cutting grass shorter than 5 cm.
- Water and weed frequently. Keep compost moist.
- Good time for drying flowers and herbs.
SEPTEMBER
- Trim and divide perennials as growth slows.
- Plant spring-flowering bulbs, also perennials and biennials.
- Plant evergreens.
- Bring in houseplants before it gets too cold.
- Fertilize and aerate lawns as required.
- Keep evergreens and shrubs adequately watered.
- Set out slug traps or bait.
OCTOBER
- Continue planting spring bulbs.
- Dig, dry and store summer bulbs.
- Distribute nearly completed compost to empty spaces and between rows in
vegetable garden. Then, dig the garden over.
- Rake leaves and add to reduced compost pile.
- Prepare and seed new lawns.
- Prepare and dig new garden beds and additions.
NOVEMBER
- Try potting up some spring bulbs for chilling outside and forcing inside.
- Start winterization procedures for plants, hoses and garden equipment.
- Protect young trees and shrubs from rodents.
- Keep evergreens, shrubs and young trees adequately watered.
- Sever invading tree roots by digging deeply with sharpened spade along
effected bed.
- Stock up on wood for the fireplace.
DECEMBER
- Protect rose bushes with soil or rose protectors just before the ground
freezes.
- Mulch tender perennials when ground starts to freeze.
- Loosely wrap burlap around pyramidal evergreens, rhododendrons and other
shrubs and trees that need protection.
- Set up outdoor lighting units before heavy snowfalls.
- Check that the house humidifier is maintaining humidity over 40% to
benefit houseplants.
- Order seed catalogues.
Timing of activities vary according to
your location in Ontario.
|