Gardening Calendar for the Chicago Area

January

Things To Do:

• Feed the birds.
• Watch for rabbit damage.
• Enjoy your winterscape plants, like red-twig dogwood, and contorted hazelnut.
• Spend hours looking at seed catalogs for the perfect "______" you have been looking for, for your garden.
• Order your vegetable seeds for vegetables that need to be sown directly in the garden.
• Shovel snow - being careful not to place any snow contaminated with salt on your garden areas.
• Build a vermicomposting bin for under $20!
• Read some gardening tips.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

February

Things To Do:

• Start planning your garden.
• Get supplies ready for starting seeds indoors, but wait until near the end of the month to start seeds.
• Branches of flowering shrubs and trees like: forsythias, pussy willows, crabapples, and serviceberries can be pruned and brought inside to force blooms. Place cuttings in fresh water, and enjoy some early spring color inside!
• Prune decidious trees, including fruit trees while they are dormant.
• At the mid to end of the month, consider making your own maple syrup.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

March

Things To Do:

• Inspect your trees and shrubs for damage from the harsh winter - schedule a tree trimmer to remove any dangerous or precarious branches & tie up any shrubs or evergreens that may have split due to heavy snow loads (bent branches may recuperate, broken ones need to be pruned away to prevent disease).
• Get outside on nice sunny days, and look for signs of spring, the first crocus, snow drop, or hyacinth to burst forth from the garden soil - always a happy thought. (once the snow melts)
• Leave on the mulch! If you put extra mulch on your plants for winter, avoid the temptation to remove it too soon, we can still get some mighty cold and snowy days in March.
• Find a sunny spot for a vegetable garden and plot the veggies you plan to grow!
• Plan for this year's garden - look for areas you want to improve, noting the microclimate for the particular area in your garden, to make the best plant choices. Bring your notes in to one of our garden centers in April, and we can offer you suggestions for plants that will work for you.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

April

Things To Do:

• Visit Clover's Garden Center to see what's new for your real landscape.
• Clean up the leaves and debris in the garden.
• Transplant shrubs and small trees before buds open.
• Cut down to about 6 inches tall, your ornamental grasses, Russian sage, and lavender.
• Prune Forsythia after it finishes flowering.
• Fertilize your evergreen shrubs.
• Fertilize the lawn.
• Divide your perennials as they emerge ( daylilies, hostas, iris, etc.).
• Use a systemic fertilizer on your roses.
• Plant your summer flowing bulbs - dahlias, and gladiolas (if the weather cooperates).
• Plant some cold-tolerant vegetables.
• Plant pansies, violas, and other cold-tolerant flowers.
• Celebrate Earth Day (April 22)!
• Celebrate Arbor Day (last Friday in April)!
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

May

Things To Do:

• Early spring flowering deciduous shrubs such as Forsythias, Spiraea, and Weigela, should be pruned when they have just finished blooming, as they set their buds for next Spring in late summer and fall.
• Definitely, plant your summer flowering bulbs - dahlias, cannas, gladiolas, tuberous begonias, and lilies.
• Set stakes next to your tall flowering plants in preparation for supporting them as they grow.
• Get all your cold hardy annuals, vegetables, herbs, and perennials planted in early May, and...
• Wait until mid-May or late-May to plant cold sensitive plants like peppers, tomatoes, sweet potato vine, zinnias, ageratum, impatiens, and marigolds.
• Keep an eye on the radishes you planted in early April, to thin the row, and harvest your crop.
• more suggestions coming soon...

If you are not sure if a plant is cold sensitive, ask your friendly Clover's Garden Center staff for advice.
We are always ready to help you.

back to calendar

June

Things To Do:

• Start harvesting broccoli. Cut off the main floret, but leave the plant in the ground to produce more mini-florets.
• Weed the garden.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

July

Things To Do:

• Start harvesting herbs for use & drying.
• Start harvesting vegetables.
• Weed the garden.
• Water the garden? Read more...
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

August

Things To Do:

• Avoid chemically treating the lawn or garden on excessively warm, August days. The chemicals can injure you, and burn out your plants.
• Continue harvesting vegetable crop, consider freezing or canning your bounty.
• Weed the garden.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

September

Things To Do:

• Choose spring flowering bulbs to plant in October for enjoyment next spring.
• Harvest squash, gourd, and pumpkins.
• Start harvesting apples.
• At the mid to end of the month, pick any remaining tomatoes and peppers to ripen indoors, as they will turn to mush if they are exposed to frost.
• Start a compost pile, gather the necessary75% "brown" materials by collecting leaves.
• Start bringing in your geraniums, if you plan to over-winter them.
• Plant some fall pansies and mums - visit Clover's Garden Center for a huge selection!
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

October

Things To Do:

• Clean up the garden for fall.
• Winterize water gardens and ponds.
• Harvest seed pods of favorite heirlooms.
• Transplant decidious trees and shrubs.
• Have garden soil tested.
• Improve garden soil with compost, in preparation for next spring.
• Prune your raspberries.
• Protect shrubs and trees from hungry rabbits.
• Visit Clover's Garden Center's Pumpkin Patches in the Chicago area for the perfect "Jack-O-Lantern," straw bales, corn stalks, gourds, & more fun, fall decorating supplies for outdoors!
  Make sure to buy a few extra bales of straw to mulch in tender perennials, strawberries, and roses.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

November

Things To Do:

• Last chance to plant spring bulbs - weather permitting.
• Prune your raspberries.
• Protect shrubs and trees from hungry rabbits.
• Mulch in your strawberries with the straw you bought last month at Clover's for autumn decorating.
• Mulch your roses.
• Clean and sharpen gardening tools for next spring.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar

December

Things To Do:

• Visit Clover's Garden Center "Winter Wonderland" of fresh-cut Christmas trees and holiday decorations.
• more suggestions coming soon...

back to calendar