- Deadhead (remove spent flowers from) Chrysanthemums.
- Clean and organize your garden tools.
- Give Cymbidium orchids bloom food.
- Sow wildflower seeds.
- Turn that compost!
- Plant green manure (cover crops) in your vegetable plot.
- Don’t forget we take our annual winter pause at the end of this month. Shop early.
- Cut back floppy or overgrown perennials.
- Last chance for spring-flowering bulb planting (check your fridge.)
- Plant winter annuals: Poppies, Stock, Sweet Peas, Pansies, Violas, Primroses, Cabbage and Kale.
- Apply an organic plant food for slow release of nutrients.
- Be vigilant for cool weather weeds like bluegrass and oxalis.
- Check out our selection of conifers for a non-traditional living holiday tree!
- Our first rain may come this month. Adjust your watering system accordingly.
- Give your potted plants a boost with Fish Emulsion.
- Our first calendars for the upcoming new year come this month!
- Plant Iceland Poppies now for a spectacular winter display.
- Sow your cover crop seeds as the weather cools down.
- Come see the new Japanese Maples before leaf-drop.
- Rhodies and Azaleas arrive this month as well!
- Deep-water young trees to reduce leaf scorch.
- It’s harvest time. Share your bounty with friends, neighbors, coworkers.
- Visit farmer’s markets; make notes of varieties for next year’s edible garden.
- Make sure your garden is fire-safe. See us for recommendations.
- Withhold water from your Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) plants this month.
- Buy spring-blooming bulbs now. You can plant later if necessary.
- Dig and divide Bearded Irises now (also check our selection).
- Last chance for Summer Pruning of fruit trees.
- Remove canes from Berry Plants that have already fruited (raspberries, etc.)
- Include your garden when making vacation plans. What happens when you are away?
- Deep water winter/spring flowering shrubs, as now is when the buds are initiating.
- Mulch the soil around vegetable plants for water conservation.
- Check your water garden to see that it is clear and free of mosquito larvae.
- Tropical plants will benefit from extra feeding during these warm months.
- Feed acid loving plants with Cottonseed Meal or Fish Emulsion.
- Deadhead and feed early flowering perennials for a second bloom.
- Prune fruit trees for a dwarfing effect.
- Check your automatic watering systems for leaks.
- Finish planting summer veggies.
- Aquatic plants look best now, and are in good supply.
- Feed ornamental grasses with an organic all-purpose fertilizer.
- It’s safe to plant warm-season veggies in the Bay Area now.
- Loosen or remove stakes from trees planted in winter.
- Select succulents now.
- Support or cage tomato plants early.
- Deadhead and groom geraniums for longer flowering.
- Tomato planting? Ready, set, go! Our selection peaks over the next 6 weeks.
- Treat yourself to a new garden hat as the sun reaches higher in the sky.
- Prune deciduous flowering shrubs (Lilac, Flowering Quince, Forsythia) during or after bloom.
- Feed acid-loving plants like Camellias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons for growth.
- Narcissus (Daffodil) leaves should be allowed to wither naturally after the bloom. Tie them back, but don’t remove them yet.
- Herbs are in good supply for early planting. Groom or divide your established plants.
- As perennials begin growing, protect the new shoots from slugs and snails. Consider evening escargot hunts.
- Check your watering system for leaks. If automatic, set at low until our weather warms up.
- You’ll still find an excellent selection of Camellias at the nursery.
- Start using your compost as surface mulch around shrubs and perennials.