In every month, yet in aught begun,
Read over that month, what avails to be done;
So neither this travail shall seem to be lost,
Nor thou to repent of this trifling cost.
• All through the month, deciduous shrubs can be moved.
• Clean and oil hand tools before putting them away for the season.
• Continue planting bareroot trees and shrubs.
• Cover Eremurus crowns with 2 inches of sand or ashes.
• Cut back Fuchsias and put in cellar to rest.
• Cracked and broken clay pots can be smashed into small shards and used for drainage.
• Faded perennials can be cut down after foliage browns.
• Fill up all bird feeding stations.
• Finish planting spring bulbs.
• Foxgloves can be protected by placing berry baskets over them.
• Gather some well berried branches from shrubs and trees for holiday decorations.
• Hill up new roses after planting.
• If storing apples, protect them from mice and rats.
• Inspect Euonymus and Lilacs for scale.
• Japanese and Siberian Iris foliage can be cut back to about 12 inches.
• Label all varieties of bulbs before storing.
• Last call for planting Peonies, be sure to mulch with straw or leaves after ground freezes.
• Last call to winterize the swimming pool and garden pond.
• Lemon Verbenas can be kept over winter by putting the plants in tubs in the cellar.
• New bulb plantings should be given light protection the first year.
• Old established Rubarb plants should be mulched with manure.
• Plant house plant cuttings in well-drained soil when rooted.
• Pot up more Crocus, Daffodil, and Tulip bulbs for forcing in late winter.
• Put protective wire around trees to keep mice and rabbits from nibbling.
• Rake lawn to remove fallen leaves and debris.
• Remove dead flower stalks from daylilies and cut the foliage back to about 6 inches.
• Roses and lilies should be planted as soon as they arrive.
• Save some hardwood ashes for use on next year's garden.
• Securely fasten any unwieldy canes on climbing Roses.
• Spent annuals in window boxes can be replace with branches of evergreens.
• Spray Peach trees with fungicide to eradicate the spores of Peach Leaf Curl.
• Start hyacinth bulbs in a hyacinth jar.
• The first batch of hardy bulbs that were potted up six weeks ago can be brought indoors for forcing.
• Thin barked trees such as Japanese Maples, Dogwood, Magnolia, Beech and Birch, should be planted in the spring only.
• Tie up foliage of Red-Hot Pokers and mulch.
• Use a rake or broom to gently remove fallen leaves from beds of Ivy, Pachysandra, Myrtle or Euonymus.
• Ventilate the cold frame on sunny days.