Gardening And More

  January Gardening Calendar Start planning for Spring. January is the perfect month to start planning your garden for the current year. As a refresher for last year’s thoughts, ideas or plants you were thinking about purchasing, dust off your gardening journal to see what changes or additions you want to make this year. A garden is always evolving. Start looking at seed and garden catalogs. January is a good time to start planning this year’s design features and plants. Seeds and new introduction plants sell out quickly. Don’t miss out and wait, try to order your seeds or reserve your plants soon. Reserving your plant purchase guarantees the plant will ship at the proper time for planting in your USDA zone. Seed starting Kits. Growers recommend starting the seeds indoors in a bright location to get a jump start to spring. There are seed starting kits which are advertised as seed starter germination kit or seed starter greenhouse kit. The kits usually feature a tray, growing...

 Looking for stock photography your website, article, magazine. Look no further Cheryl Ann Meola can help you find the perfect image for all your stock photography needs. Stock Photography  Enjoy. Send me a email or message here on the blog post. Fall is coming. Here is an example of my images.

  Let’s get ready for September in preparation to cooler temperatures by fertilizing annuals, perennials, and roses one last time for winter preparation. Check flowerbeds for pooped-out perennials such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, and Shasta Daisy. Trim dead flower heads and brown leaves for fall. Apply a new layer of mulch. Mulch helps keep the plants warm in winter and cool during summer months. Fertilize Chrysanthemums and Salvia with a liquid plant food. You will be rewarded with blooms later in the fall. Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, alyssum, and Snapdragons provide winter color through the spring and should be available by mid-September at garden centers. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds now. For a complete list of Fall Color Annuals. September is a good time to divide and cut back perennials. Check your daylilies, irises, and monkey grass while the weather is still warm. Are you planning to bring your Tropical Hibiscus in this winter? ...

  July Gardening Calendar Extreme heat began earlier this year than previous years. In the past five years, each summer we currently break last year’s record.   Extreme temperatures were recorded around the world in June 2025 and we have two to three more months of the summer. June’s last two weeks have been extreme and temperatures have soared 10-20 degrees above average. The entire United States is experiencing higher than normal temperatures. 21 places hit triple-digits. Currently there are numerous states that are under extreme heat warnings. Arizona, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington were under heat warnings last year. Temperatures have soared 10-20 degrees above average. The CDC recommends these precautions for anyone who is involved in outdoor work or activities during extreme heat weather. Drink plenty of water and don’t wait until you are thirsty. Avoid alcohol and sugary drinks. Always where s...

  February Gardening Calendar 2025 Trees and Shrubs can be planted now. This is the best time to plant Nut Trees, Fruit Trees, Shade Trees, and shrubs. By applying a combination of Super Thrive and Recharge by Real Growers instead of a root stimulator will get your newly planted trees and shrubs established much faster. Prune Apple and Pear trees after bud break in February, wait until mid-March for Peach trees. Spray fruit and nut trees with a horticulture grade dormant oil before bud break. Remove stakes, trunk wraps, and guy wires from trees planted 18 months ago. 18-24 months is the average time you need to keep the guy wires. Prune when pruning fig trees save the horizontal branches, they are the branches that produce fruit. Is your Burford Holly overgrown? Now is a good time to severely prune back. Burford Hollies can be prune back to 12 to 18 inches. Butterfly bushes can be pruned back by ½ the original height. You will be rewarded with bigger blooms this summer. Annuals...

Blow or rake fallen leaves from lawn areas. The leaves left on the lawn block the sunlight to your grass and will create bare spots. Don’t forget to compost the leaves. Spray each layer with water. Need a composter? There are several composters on the market today, but deciding which one to buy may be confusing to some. Composters are designed for gardeners and home owners with several designs to choose from. Some are designed to be mobile and when the compost is ready the gardener can take the composter to the area where it is going to be used. Other composters are deigned to be stationary. When deciding on a composter think about what you want the composter to do for you. For my information on composting Click Here. Plant spring-flowering bulbs now and add bone meal to the planting hole. Depending on how south you garden in some spring bulbs can be planted in December. The key to planting spring flowering bulbs is the ground needs to be cool enough so the bulbs remain dormant until...

  September Gardening Calendar 2024 Let’s get ready for September in preparation to cooler temperatures by fertilizing annuals, perennials, and roses one last time for winter preparation. Check flowerbeds for pooped-out perennials such as Purple Coneflower, Black-Eyed Susan, and Shasta Daisy. Trim dead flower heads and brown leaves for fall. Apply a new layer of mulch. Mulch helps keep the plants warm in winter and cool during summer months. Fertilize Chrysanthemums and Salvia with a liquid plant food. You will be rewarded with blooms later in the fall. Chrysanthemums, Pansy, Viola, alyssum, and Snapdragons provide winter color through the spring and should be available by mid-September at garden centers. For a complete list of Fall Color Annuals Click Here For More Information. For spring blooms plant Bluebonnet and Poppy seeds now. September is a good time to divide and cut back perennials. Check your daylilies, irises, and monkey grass while the weather is still warm. ...

Deadhead spring bulbs after flowering. Let the foliage die back naturally. The nutrients in the foliage gets stored in the bulb for next year’s nutrients and blooms. Stay ahead of your weeding chores. The month of May is when weeds start showing their ugly heads. I recommend using a Pre-Emergent Weed Control. Just make sure it is recommended safe to use around trees, shrubs, and perennials. Some Pre-Emergent’s are also recommended to use around your vegetable garden. Always read the label to see where you can use a pre-emergent. The way a pre-emergent works is by preventing the weed seeds from germinating. Before applying a pre-emergent pull all existing weeds by the roots because a pre-emergent will not kill existing weeds. Use a weed-N-Feed for your lawns. Check the label to make sure you can use the product on your lawn variety. Fertilize trees and shrubs. After fertilizing apply a fresh layer of mulch. Applying mulch to your beds helps to keep the roots cool in the spring–summe...