Judy's Annual Garden Calendar
The annual gardening calendar is a handy summary of gardening reminders for a full 12 months. Click on the month you are interested in, or browse at your leisure.
| January | April | July | October |
| February | May | August | November |
| March | June | September | December |
January Gardening
- Feed fuchsias fortnightly with half-strength Thrive Soluble Liquid Plant Food or Aquasol.
- Take cuttings of daphne and other shrubs like buxus and grevilleas. They’ll grow surprisingly easily from 10cm-long pieces. Dip into Yates Cutting Powder or Clonex and put into pots of Yates Thrive Seed Raising Mix.
- Spray apples, pears and hawthorns with Yates Success to control pear and cherry slug. If you don’t want to spray, dust with flour or wood ash, or remove by hand.
- Pick strawberries regularly and make sure they’re well watered during dry periods. Feed with Thrive Flower & Fruit to encourage more berries to form.
- Prune roses now and fertilise with Thrive Rose Food for a wonderful autumn rose display (in 6-8 weeks time). As new growth develops, protect it with Yates Rose Shield, Supershield or Rose Gun.
- Spray Yates Stressguard over tender plants to protect them from sunburn and heat waves.
- Harvest beans and other summer vegies regularly so they’ll produce more crops.
- Gather lawn clippings – they can be composted into wonderful plant food. Add some Dynamic Lifter organic pellets to the heap to encourage microbial activity.
- Pinch out the growing tips of poinsettias. The plants will be bushier, which will mean more blooms in the coming winter.
- Cut back and feed annual flowers with Thrive Flower & Fruit. This will give them a new lease of life.
- Prune bougainvilleas and other climbers that are threatening to take over the whole garden. Feed with Thrive Rose Food.
- Aerate lawns after heavy rains using a garden fork. If necessary, treat with Yates Garden Lime or Yates Gypsum.
February Gardening
- Buy and pot up a perfumed rose to make a long-lasting Valentine’s Day gift. Use a good quality potting mix such as Thrive Premium.
- Remove dead flowers from Dahlias to keep them blooming. Use Rose Gun, Rose Shield, Super Shield or Baycor to control powdery mildew fungus.
- Spray plants for powdery mildew, which spoils roses, begonias, and many other plants. Control with Baycor, Rose Shield, Super Shield or Rose Gun.
- Buy new season’s bulbs, but don’t put them in the ground until it’s cooler. Prepare soil with well-aged organic matter and some Dynamic Lifter pellets.
- Water deeply during dry periods. Deep watering trains roots to grow down, making plants less vulnerable to heat and drought. Use Yates Waterwise soil wetters to encourage moisture to penetrate into the soil.
- Put cold climate bulbs into the fridge eg. tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocus. Chill them for at least six weeks.
- Treat moss in the lawn with Yates Zero Moss & Algae Gun or an iron sulphate solution.
- Repot cyclamens into fresh potting mix. Feed with Nutricote or a soluble fertiliser like Thrive Flower & Fruit.
- Spray lawns with Mancozeb Plus or feed with high potash Thrive Flower & Fruit. Fungal diseases most often cause cobwebby dead patches on lawns. Water lawns in the morning.
- Plant pots of Freesias and jonquils which are some of the best bulbs for warmer areas. Fill pots with Yates Thrive Bulb potting mix.
- Feed citrus with Thrive Citrus Food and top up mulch over root systems, keeping clear of trunk. Control citrus leaf miner by regularly spraying with PestOil. Treat collar rot with Yates Anti Rot.
March Gardening
- Control Caterpillars by spraying Dipel, a natural bio-insecticide that is non-toxic to humans, or Yates naturally-derived Success.
- Plant perennials such as alpine phlox, campanulas, bergenias and hostas.
- Harvest pumpkins and leave them in an open sunny position to dry out before storing.
- Prepare bulb beds by digging in old compost and some bulb fertiliser (Yates Bulb Food).
- Sow or plant some English spinach. It’s really at its best in a cooler climate.
- Prune hedge plants such as buxus, coast rosemary (westringia), photinia and murrayas.
- Thicken up tired lawns with Yates Lush Repair packs or another fast-germinating grass blend.
- Sow sweet peas next to a sunny fence on St Patrick’s Day (17 March).
- Stop weeds from seeding by pulling them out, smothering them with mulch or spraying with low-toxic Zero Glyphosate.
- Take leaf cuttings of African violets and begonias. Pot into Yates Seed Raising Mix.
- Plant torenias, coleus, iresine or crotons under trees in warm climates.
- Spray Lawn grubs which can eat entire lawns at this time of year. Baythroid will control these pests without harming earthworms.
- Make new sowings of beans, cucumbers and tomatoes in tropical areas now that summer rains are over.
April Gardening
- Prune and tidy daylilies, Easter daisies, lavender, phlox and other perennials that have finished flowering.
- Take pre-chilled bulbs out of fridge eg. daffodil, tulip and hyacinth. Plant into pots or garden beds.
- Plant the rest of your spring-flowering bulbs.
- Sow Yates Flanders poppies to commemorate Anzac Day.
- Select and plant trees for autumn colour while you can see them at their best.
- Feed established shrubs and trees with organic Dynamic Lifter pellets.
- Mix some compost or old manure into the soil to get it ready for new roses. If soil is acid, mix in some Yates Garden Lime.
- Feed lawns with a good quality lawn food such as Lush Lawn Master. Water well to carry the fertiliser down to the roots.
- Plant trees and shrubs – April is one of the best months.
- Bulbs that have the best chance of success in warm climates are freesias, jonquils, ixias and babianas.
- Cut back geraniums with spotty, diseased leaves. Spray with Baycor fungicide.
- Spread Yates Garden Lime over gardens or lawns, where soils are heavy or mix in organic matter.
May Gardening
- A pot filled with garden goodies makes a great Mother’s Day gift. Start with a Yates Tuscan pot and fill it with your favourite Yates products.
- Give deciduous fruit trees a clean-up spray with lime sulphur after their leaves fall,
- In cool climates move cold-sensitive container plants into a more sheltered position. Spray with Stressguard to protect them from frost.
- Collect fallen autumn leaves. They’re ideal for composting.
- A cyclamen in full flower will brighten up a cool, well-lit indoor spot.
- This is the last-chance month for planting spring bulbs.
- Choose and plant autumn trees while they’re in full colour.
- Purchase new season’s roses early from shops for the best selection. Prepare soil with Yates Dolomite, Dynamic Lifter pellets and gypsum if necessary.
- Transplant runners (sideways-growing pieces with some roots) from couch, kikuyu or Durban grass lawns to fill bare patches.
- Plant citrus in all but frosty areas. The leaves of the unusual kaffir lime add a special flavour to Asian dishes.
- Protect emerging orchid flower spikes with a sprinkling of Blitzem or Baysol snail pellets.
- Plant sweet peas in warm climates, as there’s still plenty of time.
June Gardening
- Plant new roses. A thick layer of straw around the base will protect the young stems in cold areas.
- Prune hydrangeas and take cuttings to grow new plants. Only cut back those stems that flowered last season.
- Feed winter vegetables with Thrive Soluble or Aquasol to keep them growing well.
- Spray water generously over frost-sensitive plants, before the sun hits their leaves in the morning, this may help prevent frost burn.
- Plant asparagus, bulb-forming shallots and rhubarb crowns.
- Plant Lilium bulbs. With their exotic flowers and gorgeous perfume, they are worth a place in any garden.
- Control Petal blight which is a fungal disease that causes azalea flowers to rot on the bush. Pick off affected flowers and control with Bayleton.
- Reduce watering of indoor plants in winter. Most come from warm climates, so adjust water to room temperature before you begin.
- Crabapples and crepe myrtles are both attractive deciduous trees for the smaller garden. They can be planted this month.
- Get rid of lawn weeds with a selective weed killer or Yates Weed’n’Feed. Check the label carefully to make sure these products can be applied to your lawn.
- Split up established daylilies and spread to other parts of the garden.
- Plant hippeastrum bulbs with the top of the bulb protruding from the soil.
- Prune sasanqua camellias after flowering has finished.
July Gardening
- Plant or transplant deciduous trees now while they’re at their most dormant.
- Prune peaches, apples and other deciduous summer fruit trees.
- Plant peony roses in cool-climate areas where they grow most happily.
- Spray Yates White Oil or Conqueror Oil to control sap-sucking pests such as aphids, woolly aphids and scale.
- Plant new raspberries in a sunny spot where the prickly canes won’t catch passers-by.
- Prune roses (although wait until later in cold climates). Use sharp secateurs and a good quality saw. Spray bush and soil with Yates Lime Sulphur immediately after pruning.
- Check roses for suckers coming from below the ground. With a sharp tug, remove these as cleanly as possible.
- Control bindii (Onehunga weed) in Winter lawns .Get rid of it now (with Zero Bindii & Clover Killer, Turfix or another selective bindii killer) or suffer from its barbed seeds later in the season.
- Check plantings of spring annuals and replace any casualties. Buy advanced seedlings for the quickest results.
- Feed citrus towards the end of the month with Thrive Citrus Food. In the subtropics fertilise mangoes by putting some Thrive Citrus Food into a series of holes in the soil beneath the outer foliage.
- Tidy dead flowering stems from cymbidium orchids and feed plants with Dynamic Lifter pellets.
- Control snails and slugs which are encouraged by moist weather. Sprinkle Blitzem pellets among clumps of foliage.
August Gardening
- Cut or pluck dead flowers from bulbs, but allow their leaves to die down naturally. Feed every week with soluble Thrive, Nitrosol or Aquasol until leaves yellow.
- Plan and prepare a new vegie bed.
- Spray peach and nectarine trees with copper oxychloride or Fungus Fighter when their new buds start to swell.
- Transplant deciduous trees and shrubs while they’re still dormant.
- Finish pruning repeat-flowering roses. After pruning, give roses a clean-up spray with lime sulphur.
- Spray weedy lawns with Turfix or Yates Weed’n’Feed.
- Sow tomatoes indoors, ready to plant out once the soil is warmer.
- New season’s dahlia tubers can go into well-prepared, sunny garden beds.
- Feed camellias with Thrive Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron food after they finish blooming. Any trimming should be done at this time.
- Repot indoor and outdoor container plants into Thrive Premium potting mix.
- Prune hibiscus, abutilons (Chinese lantern), acalyphas and poinsettias.
- Feed everything in the garden (Dynamic Lifter pellets are ideal), and top up layers of organic mulch.
- Pinch back geranium and fuchsia tips to encourage bushy growth.
September Gardening
- Feed azaleas as they finish blooming with Thrive Azalea, Camellia & Rhodendron food.
- Water Indoor plants which need more regular watering as the weather gets warmer. When watering, check for mealy bug. Treat infestations with Confidor.
- Give Dad a great plant for Father’s Day.
- Continue watering bulbs that have finished flowering with Thrive Soluble, Nitrosol or Aquasol until leaves die down completely.
- Sow seed or transplant runners into bare patches in lawns. Topdress hollows. Yates Lush repair packs are the right size for patching.
- Visit open gardens in your area to be inspired and gather ideas.
- Plant some natives to bring birds into the garden.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs as soon as their flowering’s finished.
- In warm areas plant crotons, caladiums and coleus to brighten shady parts of the garden.
- Feed all established fruit trees with citrus food.
- Spray hibiscus with Confidor to control hibiscus beetle
- Separate young bromeliad suckers from the mother plant when they’re about one-third mature size.
- Use a garden fork to aerate the lawn (pushing and pulling the fork in and out of the soil) then follow up by feeding with a good quality lawn fertiliser.
October Gardening
- October’s a wonderful month for planting. Shrubs that go in now will make maximum growth over the next few months.
- Fertilise potted plants with Thrive Once A Year Feeder. Repot if the roots are crowded.
- Continue spraying Lebaycid Fruit Fly & Insect Killer every two weeks to protect apples and pears from codling moth. Place a band of corrugated cardboard around the trunk to trap wandering caterpillars.
- Prune frost-damaged parts of plants now that frosts are finished for the year.
- Divide and repot congested clumps of cymbidium orchids into fresh Thrive Orchid Potting Mix.
- Feed lawns with an organic-based lawn food like Lush Lawn Lifter, or with slow release Lawn Master.
- Prune tired old citrus trees, renewing mulch and feeding with Thrive Citrus Food. Remember, though, if cut back severely, the plant may not fruit again for a couple of seasons.
- Plant all the summer vegies such as beans, sweet corn, tomatoes and cucurbits (zucchinis, melons etc.) now the athe soil is warm.
- Plant mandevilla, allamanda and bougainvillea. Climbing plants are at home in warmer climates.
- Plant Basil which grows well with tomato plants. It repels pests and promotes healthy growth.
- Water hydrangeas with soluble Thrive Flower & Fruit to encourage larger blooms.
- Prune spring-flowering and heritage roses after flowering. Rose Shield, Super Shield or Rose Gun will protect their new growth.
- Sow or plant tropical fruits such as lychees, mangos and custard apples.
November Gardening
- Mix dampened Yates peat with compost to make an ideal mulch for azaleas and camellias.
- Replace tired spring annuals with some bright summer colour.
- Fertilise roses with a good quality rose food (e.g. Thrive).
- Control pear and cherry slugs with Success, or dust with wood ash or lime.
- Sow or plant more tomatoes, zucchinis, eggplant and sweet corn.
- Pot up containers with colourful annuals for decorating summer entertaining areas.
- Lift bulbs after leaves have died down, dry and store for next year.
- Spray azaleas and lilly pillies with Confidor to protect from sucking insects.
- Feed bananas and paw paws every six weeks with Thrive citrus food.
- Take cuttings of favourite bougainvilleas.
- Hand prune side shoots from tomatoes. Spray regularly with Yates Tomato Spray or Tomato Gun.
- An insect control program is essential for good tomato crops. Infested fruit should be sealed in a plastic bag and left to ‘cook’ in the sun.
- Plant day lilies for their tough constitutions and generous blooming – they’ll open a new flower every day.
December Gardening
- Watering in the morning will reduce risk of fungal disease. Yates Rose Gun, Rose Shield or Super Shield controls disease in roses and other ornamentals.
- Mulch tomatoes with old compost or manure. Remove bottom leaves to reduce disease problems. Use Yates Tomato Gun, Tomato Spray or Lanosan regularly.
- Train plants in good water habits by watering deeply and infrequently.
- Harvest strawberries regularly and make sure they’re protected from snails and slugs with Baysol or Blitzem pellets.
- Clear away garden rubbish and clean out gutters to reduce fire risk.
- Install a garden pond or fountain. Water has a cooling effect in the garden.
- Raise the mower height during warm weather – longer grass means cooler soil at root level.
- Control White fly which is a nuisance on tomato plants. Sticky yellow traps (made out of yellow plastic smeared with petroleum jelly) will catch many. Yates Pyrethrum or Nature’s Way Pyrethrum are effective knockdown insecticides.
- Cut back and fertilise fuchsias with Thrive All Purpose.
- Feed mangoes with Thrive Citrus Food to encourage production of healthy fruit.
- Check drainage. In heavy soils use a liquid claybreaker
- Control Hibiscus flower beetles with low toxic Confidor.
