Every beautiful garden you admire runs on routine, not luck. The difference between a landscape that thrives and one that merely survives is a short list of jobs done at the right moment. Here is the calendar our own crews follow across Delaware — adapt the dates a week or two for your microclimate.
Spring: wake everything up
Start with a full cleanup: cut back dead perennial stems, rake out matted leaves and edge every bed before growth begins. Feed roses and shrubs with a balanced organic fertiliser, top-dress beds with two inches of compost, and reseed bare lawn patches while the soil is still cool and moist.
- March: prune roses, cut back grasses, first lawn mow on a high setting.
- April: feed and mulch beds, divide crowded perennials, check irrigation lines.
- May: deadhead spring bulbs (leave foliage), plant summer containers, stake tall growers.
Summer: little and often
Summer care is about consistency. Water deeply but infrequently to push roots down, mow little and often without scalping, and deadhead weekly to keep flowers coming. Watch for pests early — a strong jet of water solves most aphid problems before sprays are ever needed.
A garden watered deeply once a week will outgrow one sprinkled daily. Roots follow water, so teach them to go deep.
Autumn: put the garden to bed
Autumn is planting season in disguise. Trees, shrubs and bulbs all establish better now than in spring. Rake leaves onto beds as free mulch, plant garlic and broad beans, scarify the lawn, and give hedges their final trim before frost.
Our autumn checklist
- Plant spring bulbs in layers — early, mid and late varieties in one hole.
- Empty and store hoses before the first hard freeze cracks them.
- Sharpen, oil and hang tools — you will thank yourself in March.
Winter: plan, don't fuss
Leave seed heads standing for birds, keep off frozen lawns, and spend the dark evenings planning. Order seeds early for the best varieties, sketch new beds while the structure is visible, and book your spring cleanup before March slots fill.
