January

• Garden catalogs arrive early this month. Order seed early while stock is adequate. Review last year's gardening journal and layout this year's garden design.
• Replenish mulch around trees and shrubs from 3-6 inches.
• Make sure birds have water in frigid weather.
• Toward the end of this month, apply a dormant horicultural oil to roses. Do this before bud-break to smother overwintering insects and their eggs. Read the label carefully for instructions on use.
• Take a soil sample this month and send to NCDA in Raleigh.

• Grapes and large fruit trees should be pruned this month.
• Apply a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer to fescue lawns before the end of the month.
• This is an excellent time to transplant trees and shrubs.
• Broad leaf weeds can be controlled with post emergence herbicides.
• Ladybugs usually arrive this month.

• Pre-emergence herbicides must be applied this month to control crabgrass and other weeds in lawns.
• Prune liriope 4-5 inches to invigorate growth and remove winter damage.
• Roses are pruned this month. Apply a sealer to open wounds to discourage borers.
• Treat cool season turf for grubs this month.
• Spray rose bushes as soon as foliage appears.
• Dead-head spent daffodil blooms, but do not cut foliage
• Spray dormant oil on peaches and other fruit trees for control of insects and mites.
• Divide and transplant ajuga, daisies, daylilies, liriope and oxalis.

• April 15 is considered the last frost-free day in the Piedmont. Tender annuals can be set outside. Do not fertilize lawns after April 15.
• Post emergence herbicides can be applied 3 weeks after seeded fescue germinates. Dandelions, wild garlic (wild onions), clover and other broad leaf weeds can be eliminated now.
• Tomato plants are traditionally set in mid-April.
• Tent caterpillars are a problem in cherry and other trees in the Prunus family. Physical removal is the easiest method.
• Ticks come out this month. Check yourself thoroughly if you work outdoors or walk in open fields or wooded areas. Mark the calendar when a tick is removed.

• Warm season vegetables should be planted by May 10: Tomatoes, pepper, squash, melons, okra and beans.
• Harvest of cool season crops such as lettuce, cabbage, onion, broccoli, and garden peas should be underway.
• Insects are out and they are hungry. Aphids are usually the first to arrive.
• Houseplants can be moved outdoors to recoup from their indoor winter home. Don't put plants in direct sunlight.
• Mulching helps conserve moisture and reduce weed growth. Apply course bark or needles not to exceed 6 inches deep.

• Japanese beetles arrive after a warm summer shower.
• Tomatoes start blossom end rot just before ripening. Blossom end rot can best be controlled with consistent watering practices. Make sure to lime the soil to help reduce this physiological problem.
• Daylilies are at their peak at the end of this month.
• Honeybees are busy pollinating cucurbits and other plants. Be careful and spray late in the evening to avoid unnecessary bee kills.
• Continue to pinch back herbs, dead head roses and other flowers.
• Plant pumpkins early this month. Most take between 110 and 120 days to mature.

• July is the month to take cuttings. Azalea, boxwood, holly, camellia and other evergreen shrubs can have tip cuttings taken this month.
• Bermuda grass can be easily killed with glyphosate or other systemic herbicides.
• Grassy weeds can be controlled in shrubs with Vantage and other over-the-top herbicides.
• Water carefully early in the morning to avoid evaporation.

• Cool season vegetables such as turnip, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower can be direct seeded now.
• Fertilize shrubs early in the month for the last time until spring.
• Spray stone fruits such as peach, cherry, and plum for peach tree borers this month.
• Late vegetables can be planted now. Late tomatoes, green beans and squash for those that are not burned out.

• Pre emergence herbicides can be applied to lawns when the temperatures begin to dip into the 50's to prevent chickweed and annual bluegrass next spring.
• Lawns can be core-aerated this month.
• Perennials such as liriope and daylilies can be divided this month.
• Fall webworms make a mess in some trees, especially pecan and hickory. These do not kill the tree. They are only a nuisance.
• Pumpkins and winter squash can be harvested this month before frost after the vines dry. Wipe the fruit with 1 part bleach and 10 parts water to kill bacteria and fungi.

• Move houseplants indoors before freezing weather.
• October is a good month to plant trees and shrubs.
• Grubs in turf can be controlled this month with applications of granular insecticides.
• Outdoor building projects such as sidewalks, rock walls, irrigation and outdoor lighting are best done in the fall.

• Spring flowering bulbs can be planted this month. Use premium sizes for best display.
• Lilacs can be limed this month.
• Continue composting leaves and other organic yard waste.
• Final fertilization of cool season fescue lawns later this month.

• Keep live Christmas trees watered during holidays. Live trees consume more water than you may imagine.
• Wrap boxwoods with fishing line to prevent breakage and damage from upcoming ice and snow.
• Evergreens, shrubs and trees can be pruned without harm for Christmas greenery decorations.