A year in an Upstate yard.

Leaves are down. It’s the clearest look you’ll get at a tree’s structure.

• Structural and dormant pruning of shade trees
• Removals near the house while lawns are dormant
• Cut back ornamental grasses late in the month
• Plan spring projects and get on the calendar early

Field noteDon’t let anyone top your crape myrtles. Thin crossing branches and suckers instead — they’ll bloom better for it.

Cut back, clean up, and get ahead of crabgrass.

• Cut back liriope and ornamental grasses before new growth shows
• Prune roses and summer-flowering shrubs
• Pre-emergent on lawns when the forsythia blooms
• Last good window for dormant tree pruning
• Send a soil sample to your county Extension office

Field noteLeave azaleas, forsythia and other spring bloomers alone for now — pruning them today cuts off this year’s flowers.

Spring cleanup season.

• Spring cleanups: beds edged, weeded and re-strawed
• Fresh pine straw or mulch, 2–3 inches deep
• First mows of tall fescue
• Plant trees and shrubs while it’s still cool
• Cool-season vegetables in raised beds

Field noteMulch volcanoes kill trees slowly. Keep mulch pulled back from the trunk so the root flare can breathe.

The last frost passes and planting opens up.

• Summer annuals and warm-season vegetables after the last frost
• Prune azaleas and spring bloomers as soon as they finish
• Start up irrigation and check every zone for leaks
• Bermuda and zoysia sod from late April
• Look over trees near the house before storm season

Field noteSpring bloomers set next year’s buds by midsummer. Prune within a few weeks of flowering or wait a year.

Green-up. Feed the warm-season lawns.

• Fertilize Bermuda and zoysia after full green-up
• Raise the mower on tall fescue as it warms up
• Plant summer beds and containers
• Shape hedges after the spring flush
• Top up mulch where it’s gone thin

Field noteHold the nitrogen on tall fescue this late in spring — it sets the lawn up for summer disease.

Heat, thunderstorms and fast growth.

• Water deeply and less often — about an inch a week
• Hedge and shrub trimming
• Clearance pruning off roofs, driveways and walks
• Weed beds before the weeds go to seed
• Harvest and replant vegetable beds

Field noteWater early in the morning. Evening watering leaves plants wet overnight and invites fungus.

Keep everything alive. Save big planting for fall.

• Irrigation checks and hand-watering of new plantings
• Storm cleanup after summer thunderstorms
• Deadhead perennials for a second round of flowers
• Mow high, and never take more than a third of the blade
• Watch for Japanese beetles and bagworms

Field noteMidsummer is the wrong time to plant a tree. Put it on the October list and it’ll thank you.

Peak storm season. Look up.

• Tree checks: dead limbs, cracks, a new lean, mushrooms at the base
• Book fall aeration and overseeding now
• Plan fall planting and landscape projects
• Stop pruning azaleas and spring bloomers — next year’s buds are set
• Soil test before any fall lawn work

Field noteA tree that suddenly leans after a storm, with soil cracked or lifted on one side, needs attention today.

The aeration and overseeding window opens.

• Core aeration and overseeding of tall fescue
• Fall feeding for fescue lawns
• Divide and move crowded perennials
• Start planting trees and shrubs as nights cool
• Cool-season color goes in at the end of the month

Field noteNew seed needs steady moisture for about three weeks. Plan on light watering every day or two until it’s up.

The best planting month of the year.

• Plant trees and shrubs: warm soil, cool air, winter rain
• Pansies, violas and ornamental kale in beds and pots
• Finish overseeding by mid-month
• Spring bulbs go in from late October
• Leaf season starts

Field noteFall-planted trees grow roots all winter and head into their first summer already settled in.

Leaves, bulbs, and putting the yard to bed.

• Leaf removal before leaves smother the lawn
• Plant daffodils and other spring bulbs
• Cut back spent perennials — leave some seed heads for birds
• Winterize irrigation before the first hard freeze
• Final mow of warm-season lawns

Field noteRun the mower over leaves in the beds and leave them — free organic matter for the soil.

The quiet months are for tree work.

• Dormant pruning and removals
• Check tree structure while the leaves are off
• Cover tender plants and move pots in on hard-freeze nights
• Water evergreens during dry spells
• Sketch next year’s landscape plans and budget

Field noteDormant lawns take equipment traffic far better than growing ones, so winter is kind to your yard on a removal.