It’s Time To. . .

When it comes to your yard, there are specific tasks that need to be done, not just quarterly, but monthly, to keep it healthy and looking its best. Here is a helpful guide to how to best care for your property throughout the year.

Any questions? Call The Garden Center by Precision at (864) 633-3384. You’ll always hear back within 24 business hours.

January

• Take down your Christmas tree. Some counties offer Christmas tree recycling services, often at local convenience centers.
• Put a live root-ball tree outdoors in a cool, protected area. Water it thoroughly and hose off the foliage, then move it into full sun in two weeks.
• Move your plants around the yard. Transplant any perennials and shrubs as long as the ground is not frozen.
• Mulch any tender plants, such as pansy beds or emerging bulb foliage, with pine needles or shredded mulch.
• Prune deciduous trees and shrubs, However, do not prune flowering trees (such as dogwoods, cherry trees or redbuds) until later in the spring after they’ve bloomed.
• Prune fruit trees, removing dead limbs and any vertical sprouts.
• Do not prune azaleas, winter camellias, winter daphne or trees that are “bleeders” such as birch trees or Japanese maples.
• Use insecticidal soap on the tops and undersides of houseplant leaves if any insects are detected. Clean the foliage, water regularly and fertilize. Repot your plants as necessary.
• Continue to spray dormant oil on all evergreens to protect them from potential insect damage.
• Take bulbs out of the refrigerator and set them out in the sunlight, as indicated in this chart below:

February

• Prune your summer flowering shrubs. Be aware that spring bloomers produced their buds last fall, so pruning them now will result in the loss of flowers. Prune any forsythia, quince, spiraea or other early spring flowering shrubs later, after they have finished flowering. Prune to improve the shape of the plant, as well as to open the center to good air circulation and sun exposure. Start pruning by removing any dead, decayed or broken branches.
• Transplant any deciduous shrubs and trees that are still dormant. Once the buds swell, it will be too late to do so.
• Prune fruit trees prior to the start of new growth. Apply dormant oil tree spray for winter protection from any insects.
• Use IMAGE® weed killers on wild onions, poa annua grass and nutsedge weeds.
• Start using pre-emergents, organic ones if possible, on pesky early spring weeds.
• Prune most (but not all) roses. But wait to prune roses that only bloom once a year, such as Lady Banks’ and many old-fashioned roses and climbers, until immediately after flowering.
• Do not forget your Valentine this year! Give them knock-out roses that come in bright reds to lighter pink colors and double bloomers.
• Get any materials ready for spring fertilizing. We recommend Holly-tone® for all evergreens; Plant-tone® for all perennials and deciduous plants/trees; and Espoma® Lawn Food for fescue, zoysia, centipede, and Bermuda lawns.
• Cut back any liriope and groundcovers.
• Continue feeding your feathered friends, who will help with insect control when the weather warms again.

March

• Start reseeding your fescue lawn or plant seeds in any bare spots when the weather begins to warm.
• Fertilize your fescue or zoysia lawn with Espoma® Lawn Food.
• Prune your camellias after their blooming is complete and feed them with Holly-tone® products.
• Divide perennials as needed before new growth advances.
• Fertilize any houseplants and repot them if needed.
• Prune roses by trimming one-third of the canes on climbers and 18” on hybrid teas. Fertilize them with Rose-tone® products.
• Cut back butterfly bushes to one-third the size desired this summer.
• Check gardenias for whiteflies and use Earth-tone® Insecticidal Soap to control them.
• Use Earth-tone® Insecticidal Soap or 3-in-1 insecticide to control aphids, lace bugs, mealybugs and other pesky bugs on your indoor and outdoor plants.
• Fertilize springs bulbs with 1-pound blood meal per 100 sq. ft. of bed.
• Sow cool-season vegetables in mid-March and begin to prepare your soil for the summer garden.
• Add Living Soil® amender to the garden as an organic additive for any new plants.
• Do not forget pre-emergents for spring weed control! Use Hi-Yield® Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper to prevent weeds from growing in your lawn. If you already have weeds growing in your lawn, we recommend Fertilome Weed-Out® Broadleaf Weed Control.

April

• Visit The Garden Center by Precision around April 1 for the first glance at newly arrived spring color. Annuals and perennials are here!
• Feed fescue lawns with Espoma® Lawn Food. Set the mower’s height to 2” to 3” for fescue grass.
• Set out annuals, perennials and other bedding plants in mid-to-late April, then apply balanced fertilizer, such as Plant-tone®.
• Plant shrubs, such as loropetalum, viburnums, azaleas and spiraea, for late spring color.
• Remove any faded flowers from daffodils, tulips and hyacinths, letting the foliage die naturally.
• Fertilize Bermuda and centipede lawns with Espoma® Lawn Food when grass is at least 50 percent green.
• Set out summer-flowering bulbs, such as gladioli and crocosmia.
• Plant caladium bulbs in pots and begin designing summer container gardens after the danger of frost has passed, usually after April 15 for the Seneca area.
• Fertilize azaleas and camellias immediately after they bloom. Feed other flowering shrubs, if you haven’t already, with Holly-tone®.
• Plant summer annuals. Place wave petunias, geraniums and marigolds in the sun, and coleus, impatiens and begonias in the shade.
• Prune any early spring-blooming shrubs, like forsythia, azaleas and weigela, after blooming.
• Watch for pests in your flowers and plants, such as slugs and snails, especially after a cool, wet spring. Look for tent caterpillars in cherries, crabapples and plums.
• Fertilize winter-planted vegetables early in the month. Plant warm-season vegetables after the danger of frost has passed.

May

• Plant annuals so you can enjoy them in the spring and summer.
• Fertilize centipede lawns – only one application per year is necessary.
• Fertilize and water your tomatoes regularly.
• Plant vines, such as mandevilla, bougainvillea and clematis, at your mailbox to have bright flowers all summer long.
• Begin succession planting of hot weather annuals, such as zinnias, marigolds, celosia and portulaca. Continue planting them through the month of June.
• Pinch back annuals to encourage bushy, compact growth. Begin to fertilize annuals moderately on a regular basis, as they appreciate a continual supply of nutrients.
• Plant long-blooming perennials, such as daylilies, purple coneflowers, shasta daisies and black-eyed Susans.
• Plant dahlia tubers at the end of the month. You should set your stakes for them in the ground at this time.
• Continue to plant perennials throughout May.
• Begin planting vegetables, such as okra, pumpkin, sweet potato, eggplant, peppers, peanuts, watermelon, cow peas, black-eyed peas, crowder peas, butter peas and butter beans, when the ground temperature is 70°.
• Mulch garden beds well to regulate soil temperature, retain moisture and keep weeds down.
• Do not sow cool season grasses such as fescue. However, warm season grasses such as Bermuda, centipede and zoysia can be sown soon. Temperatures must be at least 60° at night. Use weed killer on lawns only if the temperature is above 70°.
• Fertilize roses to encourage a second bloom. Continue feeding them on schedule through June.
• Fertilize azaleas as soon as they finish blooming.
• Fertilize flower beds with Plant-tone®.
• Fertilize March vegetables with an organic fertilizer, such as Plant-tone®.
• Use Martin’s Surrender® Fire Ant Killer Insecticide on any fire ant mounds.
• Use Bayer BioAdvanced® 3-In-1 Insect, Disease and Mite Control to get a start on the coming Japanese beetles of summer.

June

• Plant gardenias in any shady locations.
• Plant hydrangeas and crape myrtles, as they will be blooming soon.
• Water your lawn in the early morning so the turf will have time to dry before the night, thus preventing disease.
• Take cuttings for rooting of deciduous and broadleaf evergreen shrubs. Use the air-layering method on hard-to-root plants.
• Continue planting gladioli bulbs every week through mid-month to obtain a succession of blooms.
• Plant your easy-to-grow kitchen herbs such as basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary in a sunny spot.
• Fertilize your flower beds with Plant-tone®.
• Plant bulbs such as dahlias, tuberoses, tigridias and cannas by the middle of the month.
• Pull spent vegetable plants, re-till the soil and plant your second crops. Water the crops as needed.
• Do not fertilize the garden unless the soil is excessively wet or dry.
• Prune arborvitaes, junipers, yews and hemlocks.
• Fertilize camellias and other broadleaf evergreens.
• Prune ramblers (roses).
• Clean up spring bulbs once the foliage has completely died back.
• Cut back bearded iris and divide. Keep your Japanese iris watered.
• Do not allow weeds to go to seed. Keep them pulled or spray them with KILLZALL Weed & Grass Killer to keep them under control.
• Watch for harmful insects and disease problems in flowerbeds or vegetable gardens. Plan a different crop in that particular area next year if a problem occurs.
• Keep the garden adequately watered during the dry weather. A deep, thorough soaking every week is more beneficial than a daily light sprinkling. Comply with local watering restrictions.
• Add Soil Moist Granules to pots to absorb water and release it as needed.
• Prune azaleas after blooming.
• Watch for seed pods on any repeat blooming daylily varieties. Pinch the pods off in order to continue getting blooms for the remainder of the summer.
• Pick up a bag of Living Soil® amender at The Garden Center by Precision to use with any new plantings.

July

• Keep your garden adequately watered. A deep and thorough soaking every week in July is more beneficial than a daily light sprinkling. Plan your water schedule accordingly based on local watering restrictions.
• Mulch and water your azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias deeply.
• Brighten shady garden spots with impatiens, variegated hostas, coral bells and other shade-loving shrubberies.
• Plant zinnia seeds and enjoy cut flowers in a just few weeks.
• Lay bermuda, zoysia, or centipede sod. Keep sod watered while roots are getting established.
• Plant centipede or Bermuda seed. Allow 3-4 weeks for germination.
• Apply Milorganite® Organic Nitrogen Fertilizer to zoysia and fescue lawns to keep them green without forcing new growth.
• Fertilize crape myrtles, butterfly bushes and hydrangeas with Plant-tone®.
• Watch out for lace bugs. Use Fertilome® Tree & Shrub Systemic Insect Drench for 12 months of protection.
• Stake tall annuals and perennials securely so they will remain upright during afternoon thunderstorms that are common this time of year.
• Keep unwanted dead blooms picked off of all plants to encourage the growth of new flowers, such as knock-out roses.
• Allow the roses to rest through August. Do not fertilize them, but continue spraying. Give them a light pruning to encourage new fall growth.
• Plant bearded iris and divide old clumps.
• Continue to pinch chrysanthemums and dahlias throughout the month.
• Cut back wisteria to encourage next year’s bloom.
• Fertilize azaleas before the fall season.
• Watch out for Japanese beetles on all delicate trees and shrubs, such as roses, crape myrtles, althea, cherry trees and Japanese maples. Spray with Sevin spray. For longer control, use Fertilome® Tree & Shrub Systemic Insect Drench which lasts for 12 months.

August

• Regularly fertilize annuals for continued bloom.
• Water all plants and lawns deeply (as allowed by current local watering restrictions).
• Plant any annuals, such as zinnias and petunias, for fall bloom at the beginning of the month.
• Sow portulaca (moss rose), which will bloom in about three weeks from seed.
• Accessorize your garden with arbors, benches and statuaries.
• Pull spent annuals, such as coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and blanket-flowers, and shake them so seeds will fall where plants will grow next year.
• Divide Japanese iris.
• Watch for fire ant mounds. Use Martin’s Surrender® Fire Ant Killer Insecticide to eliminate ants until winter.
• Feed chrysanthemums every two weeks with a liquid fertilizer, such as Tiger Bloom®, until the flower buds begin to show color.
• Watch for insects, pests and diseases.
• Keep weeds pulled to prevent them from going to seed.
• Fertilize vegetables every 4-6 weeks.
• Start seeds of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collards and onions in trays. Sow bush beans, cucumbers and squash directly in the ground.
• Sow fescue to repair lawns in the last week of the month, if the weather is cool.
• Remove faded flowers from crape myrtles to encourage a second flush of blooms.
• Prune hydrangeas after they’re finished blooming.
• Cut back leggy annuals by half and fertilize them with Plant-tone®.
• Start planning your fall flower garden.

September

• Visit The Garden Center by Precision around September 1 to pick out fall color for your yard.
• Plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Enjoy fall-blooming shrubs such as Encore azaleas and camellias. Add fall color with a maple, burning bush or nandina.
• Divide or transplant spring-blooming perennials.
• Fertilize fescue mid-month using Espoma® Lawn Food.
• Plant fescue seed, protecting the seed with straw and keeping it moist for 2-3 weeks.
• Plant pansies to get a full range of color in the garden.
• Plant perennials, such as asters, mums and ornamental grasses, for fall color.
• Plant cool-season vegetable seeds, such as cabbage, lettuce, beets, turnips, spinach, radishes, collards and broccoli.
• Do not fertilize zoysia, centipede or Bermuda lawns after this time, allowing them to prepare for dormancy.
• Fertilize all shrubs with Holly-tone®, using half the spring dose.
• Fertilize perennials and trees with Plant-tone®.
• Apply Hi-Yield® Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper to all beds to stop any weeds from germinating.
• Prune loropetalums, holly and gardenias. Do not prune camellias, azaleas or forsythias.
• Lay warm season sod now or wait until next season.

October

• Plant trees, shrubs and perennials. Enjoy fall-blooming shrubs such as azaleas and camellias. Add fall color with a maple, burning bush or nandina.
• Divide or transplant spring-blooming perennials.
• Fertilize fescue mid-month with Espoma® Lawn Food.
• Continue to plant fescue seed until around October 15. Protect the seed with straw, keeping it moist for 2-3 weeks.
• Plant pansies, snapdragons and violas to get a boost of color in your garden.
• Plant perennials, such as asters, mums and ornamental grasses, for some fall color.
• Plant cool-season vegetable seeds, such as cabbage, lettuce, beets, turnips, spinach, radishes, collards and broccoli.
• Fertilize all shrubs with Holly-tone®, using half the spring dose.
• Fertilize perennials and trees with Plant-tone®.
• Apply Hi-Yield® Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper to all beds to stop weeds from germinating.
• Prune loropetalums, holly and gardenias. Do not prune camellias, azaleas or forsythias.
• Apply weed preventer to fescue, Bermuda, zoysia and centipede lawns to control poa annua.
• Reduce mowing height for fescue to 2” to 3”.

November

• Plant pansies, violas and snapdragons for more color in your garden.
• Plant cool-season vegetable seeds, such as cabbage, lettuce, turnips, spinach, radishes, collards and broccoli.
• Divide or transplant spring-blooming perennials.
• Fertilize pansy beds with blood meal or Tiger Bloom®.
• Fertilize your fescue lawn with Espoma® Lawn Food for a greener lawn throughout the winter and into early spring.
• Plant Otto Luyken laurels, aucubas and holly. Water deeply every two weeks to prevent evergreen shrubs from drying out.
• Plant camellias, the jewel of the winter garden. Dig a hole at least two times as wide as the root-ball for planting. Choose from japonica and sasanqua varieties.
• Cut back faded perennials for the winter.
• Add feeders to bring lots of color and activity to the winter garden. Black oil sunflowers attract the best variety of birds.
• Start your holiday decorating with garland, trees, lights and wreaths.
• Plant shrubs and large trees to grow by the spring season. Planting while dormant gives the shrub or tree a better chance of survival instead of planting during the harsh dryness of the summer season.
• Apply Hi-Yield® Turf & Ornamental Weed & Grass Stopper to all beds to stop weeds from germinating.
• Reduce mowing height for fescue to 2” to 3”.

December

• Spray dormant oil on all evergreens to protect them from insect damage.
• Plant daffodil, hyacinths, crocus and tulip bulbs for spring blooms.
• Fertilize your pansies.
• Prune holiday clippings. Use juniper, magnolia and fir cuttings to create wreaths and table/mantelpieces for the holidays.
• Plant woody vines like Carolina jessamine, American wisteria and crossvine for pergolas, trellises and arbors.
• Cut off dry stems and foliage of hostas, purple coneflowers, black-eyed Susans and other perennials that will die back after the first frost.
• Remove low hanging and damaged limbs from trees. Prune away some of the crowded limbs along the trunk of Bradford pear trees.
• Plant balled and burlap trees in a hole at least two times the size of the root ball.
• Put out feeders with thistle seed to attract yellow finches. Sunflower seed is recommended for general feeding.
• Keep holiday plants in the coolest indoor spot so the flowers and leaves will not drop off prematurely.
• Try something new for the holidays, such as heather, white hydrangeas, red and white azaleas, and amaryllis.
• Place any indoor plants near southern-facing windows.