Bay Area Garden What to do Calendar
[Jan] [Feb] [Mar] [Apr] [May] [Jun] [Jul] [Aug] [Sep] [Oct] [Nov] [Dec]
January
Holiday gift plants-such as azalea, cyclamen, and chrysanthemum-should be moved outdoor when the flowers fade. Begin planting gladiolus corms this moth. Pick up fallen camellia flowers to prevent petal blight. Prune deciduous dormant plants such as fruit trees, grapes and cane berries as their buds begin to swell. Prune hybrid tea roses. Protect tender plants against frost. Buy bare-root plants (if your garden soil is wet and too heavy for planting, cover the roots with damp soil for later planting). Spray fruit trees and roses with a dormant spray.
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February
Complete dormant spraying of fruit trees and roses. Plant summer bulbs and bulb-like plants such as agapanthus, amaryllis, callas, cannas, gladiolus and tuberous begonias. Destroy snails and slugs. Complete winter pruning of dormant plants such as cane berries, fruit trees, grapes, roses and wisteria.
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March
Prune frost-damages plants. Look for small buds breaking through along the stems and branches which signal new growth. Cut just above these buds to direct growth. Bluegrass, fescue, and rye lawns have their most active growth spurt this month. Fertilize and reseed bald patches. Pull up weeds. Destroy snails and slugs now before they damage plants. Apply fertilizer sparingly. Due to drought conditions do not promote lush growth which requires more water.
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April
Prepare for the six-month rainless season. Conserve moisture with a 3-inch thick mulch around plants. Leave the area next to the stem bare to avoid crown rot. To prepare plants for our dry season, water less frequently (but deeply) to send roots deep into the soil where the ground stays wetter. Control weeds. Fertilize roses when they begin to leaf out. Fertilize lawns sparingly or not at all. A fertilized lawn grows more rapidly and requires more water. Fruit trees develop fruit now. Thin the fruit when it is as big as a dime in order to produce larger fruit. Destroy snails and slugs. Tip-pinch fuchsia branches. If your water allotment permits, plant a vegetable garden.
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May
Build basins around plants (many well established plants will survive the dry season with only 1 or 2 deep soakings). Install a drip system or switch to low-volume sprinklers. Mulch heavily. Eliminate weeds, which use water needed by cultivated plants. Lawns are the heaviest water consumers. Adjust lawn watering to prevent runoff (often this means running sprinklers for only 10 minutes at a time). Aerate lawns to increase water penetration and eliminate runoff by removing core-type plugs about every six inches. Pick off faded rose blossoms (always cut to a five-leaf stem). Fertilize roses when most current buds have bloomed.
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June
When setting out plants, group them according to water needs. Water deeply rather than frequently and shallowly. Deep watering produces long roots which are more drought tolerant. Pinch back chrysanthemums and marguerites. Pick off faded rhododendron flowers. Cut back the leaves of primroses by one-third to one-half; they will probably flower again. Fertilize blooming plants.
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July
Water shrubs and trees. Remember that rhododendrons, camellias and azaleas need sufficient water to set buds for next year's bloom. You may need to skip the annuals and vegetables this year and give the water to foundation plants. Water potted plants. If the soil has pulled away from the pot's edge, submerge the pot in water until bubbling stops or buy a soil penetrant (also called a wetting agent), which you add to water to make it "wetter". Pick off faded flowers. Shear back overgrown straggly lobelia, Felicia, petunias and sweet alyssum to encourage new growth and flowers.
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August
To reduce the dangers of fire this dry summer remove all dead leaves from around the house and in roof gutters. Move all dead limbs, trash and firewood away from the house. To keep blooms coming remove mature flowers and developing seed pods. Prop up fruit- heavy branches so they won't break from the weight. Pick up fallen fruit so it won't attract insects. Water drought-stressed trees and shrubs. Chrysanthemums should be fertilized until buds show color. Sow seeds of winter blooming flowers.
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September
Monitor the water needs of your garden closely. Many plants are already stressed by the low winter rainfall of the last several years. The best defense against insect penetration is healthy plant tissue, so be vigilant, particularly with the fruit trees. Wait until the first rain before putting in any plants. Nursery plants may have been nurtured in a protection from drying wind. Carefully dig up and divide overgrown agapanthus, daylily, primrose, Shasta daisy and bearded iris. For the best selection, shop for fall bulbs as soon as they are available in nurseries.
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October
Set out trees and shrubs to take advantage of our limited rainy season. Autumn is the best time to plant native and other drought tolerant plants. Shop for spring-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Look for plump, top-quality plants. Shop for spring-blooming bulbs, corms, tubers and rhizomes. Look for plump, top-quality bulbs. Chill tulip and hyacinth bulbs in the refrigerator and wait until November to plant. Dig up and divide overgrown perennials such as agapanthus, daylily, primrose and Shasta daisy. Clean up garden debris to deprive insects, snails and slugs of their winter haven. Fertilize azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons with 10-10-10 fertilizer. This no-nitrogen formula encourages bud formation. When it rains fertilizes lawns and reseed bald spots.
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November
Continue to water until ground-soaking rains come. Cooler weather and waning daylight hours make fewer demands on plants so water less heavily, but thoroughly soak newly planted annuals and winter vegetables. Continue with fall clean up. Pull up dying annuals and vegetables. Rake up leaves. Stake chrysanthemums. When chrysanthemums are finished blooming, cut them back to 4 to 6 inches above ground level. Sow wildflower seeds. Plant tulip and hyacinths.
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December
Continue with routine maintenance chores such as weeding, raking and general garden clean up which will discourage garden pests from wintering in your garden. December is the last month digging in bulbs. Prepare for the cold by withholding fertilizer and cutting back on the amount of water used in the garden. This reduces the amount of tender new growth susceptible to frost damage. Be prepared to protect tender plants from frost.
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