Flowers
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Fertilize bulbs after blooming with balanced fertilizer or a mixture of bonemeal and dehydrated cow manure
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Fertilize perennials as they start to grow; especially heavy feeders like astilbes, daylilies and peonies with 5-10-5 organic fertilizer or aged manure
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Divide perennials as needed
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Cut-back grasses, coneflowers, sedum heads, liriope, evergreen ferns, and other perennials
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Prune roses and fertilize
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Direct sow hardy flowers like poppies, larkspurs and sweet peas
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Plant ground covers and perennials
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Prune hybrid tea roses to the 3 to 4 strongest canes to form a “vase” shape
Garden
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As soon as ground thaws and is dry enough, start tilling or turning beds. Add compost, balanced fertilizer, or manure.
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Check for any over-wintering diseases or pests and remove
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Plant bare-root berry bushes, strawberries,fruit trees, grapevines, asparagus
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Prune established berry bushes and grapevines
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Remove winter mulch from strawberry plants when growth starts, but keep some for frost protection
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Direct sow cool-season plants (beets,carrots, broad beans, mustard, peas,spinach, arugula)
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Transplant seedlings of cabbage and broccoli after hardening them off
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Fertilize established plants with balanced organic fertilizer
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Check for cutworms; if present place collars on plants
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Do not add wood
Lawn
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Remove debris, aerate and / or dethatch when soil is dry enough
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Plant grass seed or plugs for new yards or restore existing ones; keep moist until established
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Control Japanese beetles with milky spore or parasitic nematodes
Trees/Shrubs
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Prune evergreen hedges (keep base wider than top), shrubs, and trees before growth starts; prune deciduous shrubs and trees before growth starts; remove all dead or diseased branches and do not compost or keep in yard
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Put organic fertilizer on shrubs and trees if there are any signs of stress, slow growth, or poor leaf color (do not fertilize one year old trees)
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Prune flowering shrubs and trees after bloom
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Plant and / or transplant shrubs and trees; mulch around base for protection (but keep mulch 2-3” from base)
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Check for overwintering insects and diseases; apply dormant oil if needed
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Check for any bagworms you might have missed in the fall
If you haven’t had a soil test in the last three years, stop by the Loudoun County Extension Office for a kit, or contact the Loudoun County Master Gardener Help Desk with your questions: 703-771-5150 or loudounmg@vt.edu
