Monthly Garden Maintenance Schedule
Winter
January: You may start or continue dormant pruning of trees, shrubs and vines. Finish pruning fruit trees. Prune summer and fall blooming woody plants (vines and shrubs). Prune berry bushes.
February: Remove unwanted shoots and suckers from young trees and shrubs, berry bushes.
Storm damaged branches and dean branches may be cut away.
March: Continue pruning winter damage limbs, bushes, hedges. TECHNIQUE: prune top in such a way as to allow more light to lower branches. Near end of the month as leaf buds open on roses trim back aggressively. Your dormant pruning should wind up this month.
Spring
April: Cut down with a mower or weed whip prairie ground cover and other ground covers.
Finish pruning away dead and broken branches on trees, finish berry and other shrub pruning.
TIP: REMOVE WINTER MULCH. BEGIN ENRICHING SOIL WITH A TOP DRESSING OF RICE, CRACKED CORN, BONE MEAL, MANURE AND FINE SPREAD OF FIREPLACE ASHES IF AVAILABLE. (VERY LIGHTLY).
May: Begin training and trimming of topiaries, espaliers. Cut new unwanted new growth of needle type evergreens. Finish pruning of spring flowering trees. Dead head all bulbs that have flowered, leave vegetation to nourish bulbs. Dead head roses.
June: Clean up dogwoods, red buds...cut away dead branches, sprouts, diseased branches.
Prune and shape evergreens, hedges. Prune honeysuckle and wisteria after blooming. Deadhead rhododendrons, lilacs and other large spring flowering shrubs. Be careful not to cut summer and fall blooming trees and shrubs. continue training and shaping climbing plants, trellises, topiaries, espaliers. Pinch back annuals, herbs and other plants you want to thicken. This is when we eat edible flowers in profusion. Now is a good time to take cuttings from softwood shrubs and trees for planting. Remove dead foliage from exhausted bulb plantings.
Summer
July: After blooming prune your climbing, rambling roses. Shape and open shaded areas by selectively cutting from larger trees. Stay on top of hedges, shrubs and evergreens. Continue taking cutting from shrubs, berry bushes and like you want to propagate. Dead head spent flowers, thin rampant perennials. Dig and divide poppies and iris. Pull and thin aggressive and spreading herbs and wild plants: nettle, oregano, Lovage, milkweed. Prune down to ground all raspberry bushes that have fruited. Pinch back asters and chrysanthemums and other fall flowering plants you want to thicken.
August: Cut excess suckers and sprouts from fruit trees, shrubs, spring flowering trees and shrubs. Last cutting of wisteria. Final training of topiaries and espaliers. Loosen plant ties that are too tight. Slow trimming and cutting on hedges and evergreens, not to shock them in mid summer heat. Propagate perennials by taking and transplanting cuttings. Dead head spent roses. Other summer flowers may be pinched before you leave on holiday, so there is more to come when you return. Chop back early perennials to encourage hearty fall growth. Do this with your herbs. Cut and dry flowers for winter use. Prune tomato plants, in Michigan, new blooms will not provide fruit before frost.
September: Root prune for spring transplanting. Root prune non-blooming wisteria. If you are going to transplant a tree now is the time to cut back the outer branches by one third of their length. If possible avoiding transplanting these trees for one year from 1/3 pruning. Edging of your beds is best in this month. Weeding should be aggressive. You may continue taking cuttings and transplanting of desirable plants you want to propagate.
Fall
October: After leaf fall you may begin transplanting trees and planting trees and shrubs. Late in the month you may prune dormant summer and fall blooming plants. Hardwood cuttings for propagation may be taken at this time (after dormancy). Clean debris out of beds, dead foliage, diseased dean foliage. Fasten down climbing plants and others that could be damaged by wind.
Remove tender perennials to house. Compost beds. Spread lime, bone meal, ashes.
November: shape and thin plants, trees, shrubs to desired qualities. Prune summer and fall blooming trees. Be careful not to prune early flowering plants, spring bloomers that have damaged, dead limbs may be cut, but don't chop off limbs with live buds. Cut perennials down to about six inches. Water trees thoroughly before ground freezes. Prune late season raspberry bushes and fertilize. Mulch bushes, shrubs, berries, grapes etc.
December: Coping of trees may be performed (cutting of tree branches to nubs to cause spreading growth. Some trees are cut near to the ground to increase density of branches, causing a wider spread of the plant. Cut evergreens for holiday decor. Be selective and not too aggressive when cutting evergreens for ornamentation.
Weeds help indicate the condition of your soil.
Weeds protect bare land from drying, heat and erosion. That is why weeds are first in after clearing.
Ragweed and Foxtail help prevent
erosion and stop drift (wind and water table) of herbicide
sprays.
Beggarweed, yarrow, milkweed, mullein, sorrel, briar, goldenrod, sedges thrive on poor soil and begin the process of improving it.
Acid soil or lime deficiency is indicated by stinking mayweed, Anthemis cotula, sheep sorrel, cinquefoil, hawkweed, sour dock...all are acid producing plants.
Water plants obviously indicate waterlogged soil: horsetail, cattail, mustards...
Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) indicates clay soil.
WEEDS CAN BE USED TO IMPROVE SOIL
Milkweed, lamb's quarter's, ground cherry, sunflower, Jerusalem Artichoke help build soil with their deep massive and fibrous roots.
Dandelions, clover, fireweed, poppy help reduce alkalinity in soil.
Nettle and yarrow improve aromatic quality of herbs, especially peppermint.
Nettle also attracts beneficial insects.
Lamb's quarters supplies phosphorus to soil which improves cucurbita crops.
Dandelion exudes ethylene gas to help speed maturation of flowers and fruits.
Nettle is high in iron and vitamins which support plants in their fights with aphids, slugs, and snails. Particularly helpful with mint and tomatoes.
Sparse weeds late in the year (after you have exhausted your weed pulling capacity) may reduce root allelepathy.
Don't remove weeds until 3-6 weeks after planting.
Weeds can also be flamed away, providing ask, minerals for improved growth and production.