We are pleased to offer our visitors this 12-month Garden Calendar as a guide to follow. 

Please note some timing of activities will vary according to your location in Ontario

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.
• Start planning your garden
• Try forcing amaryllis and paperwhite narcissus

February

• Prune shade and fruit trees. Leave bleeders like maples and birches until after they have leaves.
• Visit your local nursery & greenhouse to see what’s coming in the spring.
• Check for dates of annual garden shows.

March

• Check & repair gardening tools
• Apply combination 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 biennials.
• Seed cool-weather vegetables such as peas, spinach, lettuce, onions, and beets.
• Rake the lawn, repair damage and seed bare spots.
• Fertilize lawn with slow-release fertilizer
• Organize a compost pile

May

• Allow 2 weeks after your average frost date to plant tender transplants and warm weather plantings such as beans & corn.
• Harden off seedlings before transplanting
• 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
• Plant tender summer bulbs, eg. Dahlias and glads

June

• Prune shrubs and trees after flowering
• Prune evergreens and hedges
• Stake or cage tomato plants, dahlias, glads etc.
• Sow seeds for fast growers such as cosmos, calendula, lavatera and marigolds
• Move houseplants outside to protected location
• Deadhead faded blooms
• Pinch back late bloomers such as mums, hardy asters, snapdragons, asters, and dahlias
• Weed and water garden beds regularly

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
• Turn the compost

August

• Sow fall vegetables eg. Spinach, lettuce.
• Prune climbing rose bushes
• 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
• Prepare and seed new lawns
• 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 the vegetable garden. Then dig the garden over
• Rake leaves and add to reduced compost pile
• 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
• Keep evergreens shrubs and young trees adequately watered
• Sever invading tree roots by digging deeply with sharpened spade along affected bed

December

• Protect rose bushed with soil or plastic cones 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
• Check that house humidifier is maintaining humidity over 40% to benefit houseplants
• Curl up with a good gardening magazine & dream some plans for spring.