Here is my to-do list, modified from the Calgary Horticultural Society.
- Weed regularly - I can't emphasize this enough! A litle every few days is better than letting them get out of control (which they will, especially in June) and then trying to catch up.
- Plant potatoes and tender vegetables and annuals after June 1.
- Mulch flowerbeds to keep soil cool and moist, and keep down weeds.
- Water regularly as a supplement to rain; 1 inch/week (including rain) is generally recommended. Use an upside down frisbee to figure out how long to leave your sprinkler on for.
- Remove tip-kill on roses and other shrubs just above an outward-facing bud or shoot.
- Prune out the oldest wood on spring-flowering shrubs once flowers are finished, to stimulate new vigorous growth.
- Snap new growths (candles) on mugho pines in half (or more) when fully extended, just before needles open, to control size and shape.
- Assemble stakes, cages and grids to support tall or floppy plants such as peonies, delphiniums and monkshood.
- Deadhead (cut off finished flowers to either promote new flowers, reduce self-seeding, or keep a plant tidy-looking).
- Keep birdbaths freshly filled and clean.
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