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| Gardening To -Do during September | Week 1 | Do you have a fruit tree with fruit you can't use or reach? Contact a gleaning organization to harvest the fruit for local food banks at gleanit.org or thru the Lettuce Link at solid-ground.org 
Finish adding perennials and shrubs to the landscape. Their roots will establish nicely before winter and then be ready for spring growth when the weather warms again. |
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| Week 2 | Welcome the fall season by adding some new plants to your containers; violas, rainbow chard and mums are my favorites. Throw some daffodils below soil level and keep container from freezing solid to enjoy some of the first blooms that spring has to offer. 
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| Week 3 | Clean up under fruit trees; leaves, fruit, and branches. Discard in yard waste or burn if infected with diseases. 
Divide perennials after the blooms have faded. 
Fill in empty areas that need color, share with friends, freecycle or pot up extras for the spring plant swaps and store pots in the ground and covered with straw to insulate thru the winter. |
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| Week 4 | Leave those rose hips on your rose plants. The hormones in the hips 'tell' your plants that it is time to go dormant. 
Harvest, freeze, dry, and eat all that the garden has to offer while the last of the growth occurs and before plants begin to slow production and die back. Compost all garden matter that is not diseased. |
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Gardening To-Do's during August: | Week 1 | Prune summer flowering shrubs as the flowers fade. 
Continue to enjoy your flowers by bringing arrangements inside. Cut flowers with a sharp knife in the morning and plunge cut stems instantly into warm water. Remove lower leaves that will be submerged and recut stem to desired length. Add flower preservative to warm water and store flowers in a cool room for 2 hours to encourage maximum uptake of water. Top off with fresh water daily and keep out of direct sunlight and drafts. | Week 2 | Seed a fall crop of peas, spinach, lettuce, and cover crops. Vegetable starts are available and locally grown from The Market Garden for great rates; Brussels sprouts, chard, and kale are just a few of those available. Contact Gardens Alive Design for delivery information.   
| Week 3 | Order spring bulbs for planting and forcing from Brent & Becky's Bulbs.   
Plant your cover crop to hold soil particles during winter rains, store nitrogen for spring growth, keep weed seeds from taking hold and enjoy having plants in your garden beds during late fall, winter and early spring. | Week 4 | 
As the summer growing season slows make a list of the vegetable seeds that did well, get a head start on next year's garden plans by vowing to plant more dahlias and record what's enduring summer in your yard. 
Collect mature seeds, dry completely, and store in an airtight container in a cool dry, and dark location for germinating or swapping with friends in the spring; nasturtium, coneflower, nigella, sweet pea, snapdragon, cosmo, zinnia, poppy, marigold, daisy and eryngium.  Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials now so they can establish a hearty root system for next year. Be sure to water during our last few dry weeks. |
Gardening To Do's during July: | Week 1 |
How does your garden grow?
July is a great month to take inventory of how you are feeling about blooms present, spacing of plants, drought tolerance concerns, and maintenance concerns.
Add any ideas or thoughts to your calendar and change the design this fall.
Harvest thru early winter by starting your seeds for your succession plantings; kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, peas, chard, and lettuce.
| Week 2 | Have you been taking photos of your garden beds each month or better yet, each week? Create a visual slideshow which can assist you in specifically identifying your landscaping needs, spaces to fill, and placement for containers or fountains. Set your slideshow to music!!!
Time to repot houseplants.
For beautiful indoor & crack-proof outdoor containers remember that Gardens Alive Design has an account with AW Pottery.
Contact kirsten@gardensalivedesign.com for more information and pricing/delivery details. | Week 3 |
Harvest Harvest Harvest
Harvest and dry herbs.
Harvest and can salsa.
Harvest, grind, and freeze zucchini for winter use.
Harvest flowers for your bathroom, picnic table, and even place a bouquet in your flower bed!!!
| Week 4 |
Gardening mantras to live by;
"dirt first"
"weed early, weed often'
"right plant, right place"
"play, create, enjoy"
As the weather turns to hot & dry, don’t forget to deeply water those plants that are establishing into the landscape. |
Gardening To-Do's during June: | Week 1 | Plant transplants of all warm season vegetables and herbs. 
Deadhead spring blooming perennials in hopes for another flush of flowers. 
| Week 2 | Pinch back asters, mums and sedums by 1/3rd for a sturdier plant with more blooms. 
Stake tomato plants and pinch out leaf axils. Also remove any leaves that touch the ground to prevent blight. Contact me at kirsten@gardensalivedesign.com for more info.  
| Week 3 | Pluck fruit from orchard trees to assist in June drop. 
Prune wisteria and other spring or early summer blooming shrubs and vines. | Week 4 | Complete gardening tasks during the early morning or late evening to avoid heat stroke and sunburns. Keep new plants well watered. 
Enjoy your gardens by bringing arrangements inside. |
To Do in the Garden During the Month of May: | Week 1 | We are nearly out of the woods for possible freezing weather. Play it safe and wait to plant annuals until after Mother's Day. 
It is never to late to apply the 2" of compost around the base of your perennials and shrubs within the garden beds. Smother the weeds seeds and emerging weeds at the same time to decrease gardening chores, decrease watering needs, and improve the health of your plants! | Week 2 | Pruning of spring blooming shrubs begins after the flowers fade. In a general sense, pruning shrubs back by 1/3rd is a safe rule. Email me, for specifics; kirsten@gardensalivedesign.com 
Pluck off the faded blossoms and growing ovaries of daffodils but leave anything else that is green. As the plant turns yellow, the nutrients are drawn back into the bulb to store for next spring's growth. Tie the dying leaves into a neat knot and cut away when they are completely brown. 
Fill in bare spots in your lawn by scattering new seed. Mow around these areas until seeds have taken root, | Week 3 | Plant any and all starts of herbs, annuals, summer blooming bulbs, perennials, and seeds of lettus, peas, carrots, and potatoes. 
Control slugs and snails in your gardens. Put out attractive bent metal bars that double as plant supports and garden art. Use 3/8" and bend to your heart's content or purchase from www.backyardstyle.com | Week 4 | Wait until nightime temperatures warm to 50 degrees to plant seeds of beans, corn, tomatos, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, squash, pumpkin, and sunflower. 
Enjoy area plant sales by visiting the Miller Libraries comprehensive list of sale dates, locations and items at each sale: http://depts.washington.edu/hortlib/calendar/tours_sales.php Yep - weeding, weeding, weeding . . . 
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Gardening To Do's during April | Week 1 | Edge all flower beds and recycle the soil into low spots in the lawn, into the compost bin, or into a new flower bed location. Turn sod upside down, cover with newspaper, and add 10" of compost and you've got a healthy new bed ready to plant.  Turn under your cover crop in the garden. | Week 2 | Thatch, aerate and reseed or overseed the lawn, if necessary, when the soil is dry enough. Be sure to use the aerator that spits out the plugs of soil. This allows for air penetration and not soil compaction. Both machines are similar to using a lawn mower. Great exercise and feeling of creating a healthy lawn!!!   Contact me if you are interested in purchasing nursery items, perennials, or annuals from area wholesale nurseries! kirsten@gardensalivedesign.com | Week 3 | "Weed early and weed often" for your highest success in actually eliminating the weeds. Try a hula hoe to accomplish this task. Be sure that you are cutting weeds and not your perennials. 
As the spring shrubs bloom, record the varieties that you enjoy and make it your mission to find them during the year on sale. | Week 4 | Use a floating row cover to keep root crops from getting maggots and allow plants to grow more! This portable 'greenhouse' allows the rain to drop through, keeps the heat in, is easily moved and stored. 
Plant beets, parsley, lettuce, and carrot seeds in the garden. Transplant starts of broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, and chard into the garden. Start squash, zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber and sunflower seeds inside. Can you already sense the excitement of harvesting and taste the wonderful vitamins and minerals packed inside??? 
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Gardening To Do's during March: | Week 1 | Create a useful "Bloom Calendar" that you record the date and add a drawing or photo of each plant that blooms during the year in your yard. Use this to find pauses in your landscape and fill accordingly. 
As the frogs return, so returns the daffodil bloom. Create other simultaneous occurences to enjoy on your calendar ex; hummingbird returns when wild marionberry bloom. | Week 2 | Prune fruit trees, wisteria, hydrangea, and hardy fuchsia. 
Edge flower beds and apply lime to the lawn as it begins to grow, if necessary. | Week 3 | Plant sweet peas - Old Spice and April in Paris are excellent choices for fragrant blooms. 
Continue to start seeds inside; broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, chinese cabbage, celery, collards, kale, lettuce, peppers, swiss chard, tomatoes, & basil. 
Seeds that can be started outside include; beets, mustard, onions, peas, potatoes, radish, spinach, swiss chard, & turnips. | Week 4 | On your calendar, mark the last day of each month as the day to photograph each bed in your garden to create a way to remember where you have planted and what you enjoy most during each month. 
Email me and let me know how gardening is going for you! kirsten@gardensalivedesign.com |
To do in the garden during the month of February: | Week 1 | Use the last few weeks of dormancy to dream about your gardening desires in the coming year; less maintenance, water wise, more edibles, adding color, and starting seeds could be on the beginning of your list. 
Schedule your free consultation now with Gardens Alive Design at the link below: Looking Forward to Helping You! | Week 2 | Beginning seeds is cost effective, easy, and extremely rewarding. See the following link for details. Seed Starting Fact Sheet Give your Valentine a long living gift this season; a dwarf fruit tree, an indoor hydrangea later planted outside, or a variety of seeds. 
| Week 3 | Research adding a rain barrel to the landscape; start here: Oak Barrel Used to Store Rainwater 
| Week 4 | Add edibles to the landscape; blueberries, raspberries, asparagus and rhubarb are beautiful additions and can be purchased inexpensively and planted at this time. 
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To do in the garden during the month of January: | Week 1 | Set a gardening goal for this year; record names and locations of plants in all landscaped areas, take photos of each bed on the 1st of every month, or simply take the time to tour a new garden each month. 
Gardening this month includes a comfortable chair, hot cup of tea and a pile of seed catalogues. Order the tried and true but supplement with a fun experiment. This year I'm adding touches of red throughout my garden; red squash, red corn, red peppers and lots of red flowers! | Week 2 | During the week of sun that usuallly comes during January, complete all winter pruning and debris clean up. 
| Week 3 | The month to relax, observe & dream; create a wish list of areas to improve. Does the area need a sculpture, plants with winter interest, or creatively placed rocks? 
| Week 4 | Freshen up indoor plants by cleaning leaves, removing dead debris, giving them a shower to flush the soil, and adding new starts that add interest to your 'indoor garden'. 
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| To do in the garden during the month of December: | Week 1 | Contact Gardends Alive Design to purchase a living Christmas tree to enjoy inside then add to your landscape this spring. 
Create your own 'green' wreath using holly, evergreens, herbs, colored twigs, and small battery operated lights for a touch of festivity. | Week 2 | A centerpiece for the table could include; miniature cyclamen, corsican mint, small poinsettias, maidenhair fern and a hinoki cypress planted in a large shallow decorative container that includes a matching drip tray.   
 
Watch the weather for any sudden hard freezes and protect tender plants. | Week 3 | Give a living gift this season; a planted herb pot, a scented gardenia, or a selection of seeds for planting in the spring. Use compostable wrapping for gifts; brown mailing paper, twine and a small swag of evergreens or herbs. 
| Week 4 | Take family and friends to a local nursery for a bright and cheery outing that is out of the rain. Begin to set sustainable goals for gardening in the coming year; set up a compost bin, plant more edibles, decrease weeding by filling a bed with a groundcover, or assist a friend or family member with their gardening goals. 
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| To do in the garden during the month of November: | | Week 1 | Give houseplants a 10 minute cool shower to clean leaves and flush soil. Continue to cut back non-woody annuals and perennials and add to compost bin. Start amaryllus bulbs in a pebble dish. Continue to add 2-4 inches of compost to garden beds. 
| Week 2 | Cover tender perennials with evergreen boughs. Collect colorful stems for an interesting arrangement. Leave a few rose hips on rose bushes to aid in dormancy. Continue to keep leaves off of grass by raking or mowing. 
| | Week 3 | Be sure plants in dry sites get watered. In organic soil, plant a seed packet of greens to grow inside for a winter salad. Create wish list of tools and plants for the coming year. Plant an herb pot by the door for ease of collecting during the winter months. 
| Week 4 | Give a fall blooming perennial as a host/hostess gift. With colorful dried leaves; play pin the leaf on the oak tree, create a wreath or string dried leaves on thread with children for a fun indoor activity during gatherings. Use rosemary, sage, and thyme sprigs tied with twine as a decompostable and scented place favor at the table. 
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| To do in the garden during the month of October: | | Week 1 | Finish planting a cover crop on vegetable beds. Plant garlic. Plant seeds of lettuce and spinach for spring crops.
Last chance to lightly fertilize with an organic balanced fertilizer.
| | Week 2 | Cut back non-woody perennials as the leaves die to brown colored. Cut evergreeen boughs to place on tender perennials. Bring houseplants inside. Add non-diseased fallen leaves and garden debris to compost pile. 
| | Week 3 | Cover or pull out dahlia and other tender tubers or bulbs. Collect colorful leaves for fall arrangements. Harvest herbs to dry or freeze. Plant spring and summer blooming bulbs.   
| | Week 4 | Clean and sharpen all tools. Add 2-4 inches of compost to flower beds. Clean bird feeder. 
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