| Gardening 'To Do' List (Personal, Zone 7 or 8 list of "to do's," suggested by Sunset magazine and various books and websites.) |
| JANUARY: Plant bare root plants, like berries, fruit and shade trees, grapes, perennial vegetables, and roses. Don't let the roots dry out and get them into the ground before the plant starts active growth. Prune roses when they begin to bud; cut back hybrid tea roses to the most vigorous three-five canes, removing any diseased or injured canes. Prune landscape roses to shape. "PLANT BARE-ROOT ROSES: 1. Unwrap and shake organic matter from roots. 2. Prune off broken roots and canes. 3. Immerse the roots in a bucket of water for a few hours. 4. Dig a planting hole 2 feet wide and 1 foot deep. If your soil contains a lot of clay or sand, mix in 1 cubic foot of compost. 5. Make a 10-inch-tall cone of soil in the middle of the hole, center the rose over it, and spread out its roots. 6. Fill hole with soil; keep the graft (the thickened area at the stem base) 2 inches below ground level. Water well and rock the rose back and forth to settle it in. Add more soil if necessary." FEBRUARY: Plant bare-roots plants like berries, grapes, roses, shrubs, and fruit trees. Don't let the roots dry out and get them into the ground before the plant starts active growth. For February blooms, plant deciduous plants like cornelian cherry, forsythias, and flowering cherries and plums. Plant cool-season veggies (like spinach and snow peas) in raised beds. Direct seed hardy annuals like calendula, English daisies, pansies, California and Iceland poppies, snapdragons, and violas. Plant hardy primroses (polyanthus or P. x polyantha). Prune roses, when first buds show. Prune shrubs and trees before new growth begins. MARCH: Plant cool season veggies (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, etc.). Also root crops (like beets carrots, radishes), alliums (chives, garlic, leeks, onions, shallots), peas, and potatoes. Start new lawns; patch old ones. Don't let the area dry out until the grass is well established and growing strongly. Feed lawns. Cut back summer and fall-flowering clematis to the strongest stems. Fertilize. Slugs are coming out now! Divide summer- and fall-flowering perennials (like asters, chrysanthemums). Prune shrubs and trees before growth begins. Begin fertilizing plants after new growth appears. "Tulips benefit from a feeding right after bloom as new bulbs are forming. This is true whether you live in a cold climate where Darwin and other hybrid tulips rebloom for several years, or in a mild climate where you can grow species types (Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder', for instance) that come back year after year. Dutch growers use a 12-10-18 formulation, but any balanced fertilizer (such as 12-12-12) will do. Wait until foliage turns yellow to remove it." APRIL: Sow seeds for cool season veggies like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, lettuce, and spinach. Plant fruits. Plant container-grown azaleas, lilacs, and rhododendrons, plus flowering vines like clematis and wisteria. Plant dahlia tubers and gladiolus corms. Start new lawns. |