March ‘To Do’ List
Prune winter-flowering vines and shrubs after blooming. Plant summer and fall blooming bulbs. Spray fruit trees and roses with dormant oil if you haven’t already done so. Plant ground covers, grasses, roses, fruit trees, perennials, shrubs, trees and vines. Plant warm season vegetables. Start feeding your houseplants with an organic fertilizer. Start feeding your trees, shrubs, perennials and vines with an organic fertilizer. Prepare vegetable beds by working in plenty of compost or manure. Lime two weeks later if...
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Order seeds and start seed flats. Water sparingly. Cultivate the soil and weed thoroughly. Lift and divide perennials, taking care not to damage new shoots (save some for the Plant Sale). Deadhead early flowering bulbs after bloom. Prune summer-flowering shrubs that flower on this year’s wood. E.g. hardy fuchsia (Fuchsia magellanica) and butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii). Prune summer-flowering clematis. Feed hydrangeas with well-rotted compost or manure. Complete pruning of fruit trees and spray with dormant oil and lime sulphur if not done already. Plant new bush and cane fruits and...
Read MoreJanuary ‘To Do’ List
Spend time going over your seed catalogues and plan your garden. Think about new seeds that you would like to try and foster for the plant sale. Plant trees, shrubs and vines as long as the ground isn’t frozen. Apply dormant spray to fruit trees when you anticipate 24 hours of dry weather. Make sure that any leaves or broken branches are off the lawn. Prune out any broken or damaged branches. Check your houseplants: divide and re-pot any pot-bound plants. Prune judiciously to create a compact, attractive specimen. Succulents – jade, hoya, sansevieria—may be reluctant to bloom in the...
Read MoreNovember ‘To Do’ List
Plant and mulch unplanted trees, shrubs and perennials. Move or divide peonies. Plant spring bulbs. Add a little organic bone meal with each bulb. Fertilize trees and shrubs once the leaves have turned colour and/or fallen off. Start potting indoor bulbs for December and January. Paperwhites take 4-6 weeks to bloom once they are planted while hyacinths still need another 6 weeks of chilling before bringing them tinto your room. Just place them in the fridge but remember to top up the water regularly. Stop fertilizing your indoor plants since they use less water and fertilizer due to the...
Read MoreOctober ‘To Do’ List
Replace spent annuals with winter pansies, winter kale and/or grasses. Prepare soil for autumn planting. Plant spring bulbs. Dig and store tender bulbs like Dahlias and Cannas. Rake and remove fallen leaves. Cut back spent perennials/biennials. Stop pruning roses. Fertilize trees, shrubs and perennials one last time as this will produce stronger plants. Plant peonies, poppies, irises. Add winter mulch. Divide and transplant perennials and ground covers. Pot some for the May plant sale. Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, ground covers and vines. Transplant roses. Plant bare-root roses. (Thanks...
Read MoreApril ‘To Do’ List
Divide up primroses and polyanthus after flowering. Stake perennials that need it and mulch perennials if not already done. Rose pruning should be completed by now. Mulch with manure, mushroom manure or well-rotted compost. Check your roses for aphids. Squish them or apply Safers Insecticidal Soap. Doing this now means relatively aphid free roses later Shear winter flowering heathers after flowering. Continue planting trees and shrubs. Check vines growing on the house to make sure they are not invading window frames or working their way under gutters and shingles. Divide summer blooming...
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