Garden jobs, month by month
Gardening is mostly about timing. These twelve pages follow the year in a typical UK or Irish garden, from pruning roses in the cold of February to planting tulips as November closes in. Each one lists the jobs that matter for flowers, vegetables, fruit, lawns and wildlife, and links to the plants that need attention.
Dates are written for lowland England, Wales and Ireland. If you garden in Scotland, northern England or anywhere high and exposed, add a week or two in spring and take a week or two off in autumn. A run of mild weather moves everything earlier; a cold, wet spell holds it back. Watch the soil and the plants as much as the calendar.
- Winter
January
The quietest month, but not idle. Prune apples and wisteria, order seeds, chit early potatoes, keep feeders full and enjoy hellebores, snowdrops and winter bark.
- Winter
February
Winter's tail end with spring in sight. Cut back grasses and dogwoods, prune summer clematis and buddleja late in the month, sow under cover and prepare beds on dry days.
- Spring
March
Spring arrives, unevenly. Divide perennials, prune roses and shrubs, sow hardy vegetables when the soil warms, plant onion sets and early potatoes, and give the lawn its first light cut.
- Spring
April
Growth takes off, but frost still lurks. Stake perennials, sow hardy annuals and vegetables outdoors, earth up potatoes, feed the lawn and keep fleece handy on clear nights.
- Spring
May
The garden races ahead. Harden off and plant out tender plants once frosts end, try the Chelsea chop, sow beans and squash outdoors, thin seedlings, and water new plantings in dry spells.
- Summer
June
Midsummer abundance. Deadhead roses and perennials, water wisely in dry spells, prune spring-flowering shrubs, tie in tomatoes and climbers, and start harvesting salads, peas and strawberries.
- Summer
July
Peak summer. Water deeply rather than often, deadhead to keep flowers coming, pick crops while young and summer-prune trained fruit and wisteria.
- Summer
August
Late summer abundance. Keep picking and deadheading, trim lavender after flowering, prune wisteria, collect seed and start planning bulbs for spring.
- Autumn
September
Warm soil and returning rain make September ideal for planting. Get daffodils in, divide tired perennials, repair lawns, pick apples and bring tender plants indoors.
- Autumn
October
Autumn arrives in earnest. Plant bulbs and shrubs while the soil is warm, collect leaves for leaf mould, protect tender plants from frost and harvest the last crops.
- Autumn
November
The garden winds down. Plant tulips and bare-root roses, trees and hedges, protect tender plants and pots from frost, gather leaves and keep feeders topped up.
- Winter
December
The quietest month. Prune apples and pears, plant bare-root trees when the ground allows, protect pots from frost, feed the birds and plan next year's garden.