Gardening Tips for Each Month

September

Dig dahlias and other tender bulbs after the first frost. Dry in a well ventilated area for a week, then pack them in sand and store in a dry place at 50-55 degrees for the winter.

Lime, fertilize and add several inches of compost to the vegetable garden.

Plant some oriental greens, arugula and lettuce in a cold frame for tasty, nutritious greens that will grow well into the winter.

As the weather cools, start to mound soil around the base of roses (especially hybrid teas and grandifloras) for winter protection.

October

Continue to mound soil around base of roses, adding about two inches at a time and letting it freeze, until you have a cone about 12 inches high around the plant.

Spray broad-leaved evergreens with an anti-desiccant to prevent moisture loss.

Clean out the garden, remove dead leaves that have fallen, and cut perennials back to within three inches of ground level.

After raking leaves, run the lawn mower over them several times. They will come in handy as winter mulch.

If there isn't ample rain, keep watering trees and shrubs that were planted this year until the ground freezes.

December

When cutting your Christmas tree, lay any discarded or extra limbs over your dwarf conifers to protect them from heavy snow.

Check bird feeders daily and keep them filled. Put out several kinds of feeders with different seeds to attract the greatest variety of birds.

Treat yourself to a holiday gift for the garden - that special plant or tool you have been wanting.

Be sure that all tools are sharpened, oiled and brought indoors for winter. This includes everything from trowels to spades, pruners to loppers, and garden forks to hoes.

After a heavy or deep snow, brush off bird feeders and birdbaths so the birds have access to them.

It's not too early to start dreaming about and putting together ideas for next year's garden.

January

On a stormy day, curl up with a cup of tea and all those gardening, plant and seed catalogs, plan your garden for the upcoming season, and place your seed and perennial plant orders.

Give each of your indoor plans a shower - in the tub or with the spray attachment in the sink. It cleans household dirt off the leaves and helps humidify them. Ideally do this monthly in the winter. Cover the soil with foil or plastic wrap so it doesn't sprayed out of the pot.

On a warmish day, check that a thick layer of mulch is still over perennials, protecting them from heaving during any January thaw.

If snow or ice damages tree limbs, prune them back as soon as you can. If you cut back to the main trunk, make sure to leave the collar intact to heal the wound.

February

Hang suet in wire mesh from tree branches for birds. The fat gives them energy they need during the cold months.

Sow poppy seeds on top of the snow.

If you begin seeds indoors, start getting them ready. Clean and disinfect pots using a bleach solution. Scrub plastic pots; soak terra-cotta pots an hour or longer and scrub. Rinse well.

Before spring bulbs emerge, remove any animal barriers (screening or hardware cloth) laid on the ground to protect bulbs from squirrels and chipmunks.

Start planning your backyard habitat to attract the animals you want and to deter those you consider pests.

Order woody plants for spring planting - trees, shrubs, and roses. Order "own root" plants rather than grafted ones, as they are hardier.

March

Check for warm micro-climates, areas where snow starts melting first. You can plant these areas earlier than others.

Find one of those warm micro-climates to

plant peas, as is tradition, on Saint Patrick's Day (March 17)

If you want to get a jump start on the garden, start sowing onions, leeks, peppers, eggplants and parsley seeds indoors eight to ten weeks before the last frost date.

Check bulbs you are over wintering for signs of damage, mildew or fungus, drying out or critters that may be feasting on them. Discard any damaged bulbs.

Spread Hollytone or another fertilizer for acid-loving plants around the base of hollies, rhododendrons, azaleas and andromeda, following package instructions.

April

Celebrate National Gardening Month by working with your children, or children on your block, to make a small (3 x 3 ft) raised bed garden to grow vegetables and flowers. You will be surprised at what they will eat if they raise it themselves!

As the ground starts to thaw, slowly remove winter mulch from around trees, shrubs and perennials.

Gently and gradually remove the winter mulch from spring-blooming bulbs just as the shoots start to grow.

As soon as the soil can be worked, begin planting bare-root roses, trees or shrubs that you get from a local or mail-order nursery.

To smother any overwintering, unwanted insect pests, spray trees with dormant oil after all danger of freezing nights has passed but before buds open.

May

Plant a large container of early lettuces and other cool-loving greens outside the kitchen door for salads. Pick the outer leaves and the plants will keep producing new leaves.

Loosely wrap the trunks of young trees with special paper or paint the south-facing side with white paint to prevent sunscald.

Just as buds begin to appear on rose bushes, remove all the leaves from winter, then slowly remove the mulch, an inch or two a week, so that sudden late freezes don't kill tender shoots.

Always cut roses at a 45 degree angle. Cut above an outward-facing bud, which will form a stem that grows away from the center of the plant.

June

Deadhead spring blooming bulbs but allow foliage to remain to rejuvenate them.

Once the soil warms and is above 65 degrees, begin to plant in earnest. Plant annuals, summer vegetables and tender bulbs.

When getting plants started, keep several watering cans filled with water. The sun can warm the water so it is not shockingly cold to warm weather plants.

For tall plants that require support or staking, such as morning glories, tomatoes, clematis and dahlias, put in the supports just before you plant. That way, no roots or tubers are destroyed when staking.

Plant tender Mediterranean herbs (lavender, thyme, oregano and rosemary) in soil amended with sand so it drains well. Mulch with sand, gravel or grit.

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