Your gardening year
Every month’s garden jobs at a glance, for gardens in Kingston, Surbiton and Surrey.
Flourish garden tools
Your gardening year
See what to sow, plant, prune and enjoy each month. Slide through the year, read our advice, and add plants to your own planting calendar. Tap any for a quick explanation.
In the garden
this month
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Month by month
A quick summary of what to sow, plant and enjoy through the year. Open a month for the full picture.
January
Frost and the first snowdrops. Plant bare-root trees and hedges when the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
- Plant: Sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood, shrub roses, trees, hedges, apple and pear trees, plum trees and 1 more
- Prune and cut back: Lenten roses, apple and pear trees, wisteria, climbing roses and japanese maples
- Look after: Winter pansies and violas, shrub roses, trees, hedges, apple and pear trees, a new lawn, established lawns, deciduous agapanthus and 1 more
- Enjoy: Snowdrops, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), lenten roses, winter heathers, sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood and 1 more
February
Snowdrops and crocuses. Prune established apple and pear trees while they're dormant, and sow sweet peas under cover.
- Sow: Sweet peas
- Plant: Snowdrops, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood, primroses and polyanthus, shrub roses and 7 more
- Prune and cut back: Lenten roses, ornamental grasses, shrub roses, apple and pear trees, wisteria, large-flowered clematis (group 2), late-flowering clematis (group 3), climbing roses and 7 more
- Look after: Winter pansies and violas, primroses and polyanthus, hostas, shrub roses, trees, hedges, apple and pear trees, climbers for walls and fences and 7 more
- Enjoy: Daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), lenten roses, winter heathers, sweet box and 4 more
March
Daffodils everywhere, and sowing starts in earnest. Wait for the soil to warm up before sowing outdoors.
- Sow: Dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, annual climbers, perennial wildflower meadow, zinnias, cornflowers, pot marigolds and 1 more
- Plant: Snowdrops, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), lenten roses, winter heathers, sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood and 41 more
- Prune and cut back: Sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood, echinacea, ornamental grasses, shrub roses, hedges, heucheras and 14 more
- Look after: Daffodils, crocuses, winter pansies and violas, primroses and polyanthus, hostas, shrub roses, trees, hedges and 10 more
- Enjoy: Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), lenten roses, winter heathers and 7 more
April
April showers, tulips and blossom. Check new hosta shoots for slugs, and watch for late frosts on tender growth.
- Sow: Dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, sunflowers, nasturtiums, annual climbers, a new lawn, established lawns and 5 more
- Plant: Daffodils, lenten roses, winter heathers, hostas, foxgloves, echinacea, ornamental grasses, shrub roses and 47 more
- Prune and cut back: Winter heathers, sweet box, winter viburnum, ornamental grasses, heucheras, hardy border salvias, mophead and lacecap hydrangeas, forsythia and 5 more
- Look after: Daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, primroses and polyanthus, hostas, shrub roses and 18 more
- Enjoy: Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, lenten roses, primroses and polyanthus, wallflowers and 8 more
May
Alliums and bees. Harden off tender plants, and plant them out only once the risk of frost has passed where you are.
- Sow: Winter pansies and violas, wallflowers, foxgloves, dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers, nasturtiums, annual climbers and 4 more
- Plant: Daffodils, hostas, echinacea, ornamental grasses, english lavender, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas and 22 more
- Prune and cut back: Wisteria, spring clematis (group 1), forsythia, penstemons, heleniums, border phlox and upright sedums
- Look after: Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), lenten roses, sweet box, winter viburnum and 25 more
- Enjoy: Tulips, border alliums, winter pansies and violas, wallflowers, apple and pear trees, climbers for walls and fences, perennial wildflower meadow, heucheras and 10 more
June
Roses and foxgloves. Water new plants and pots when the soil is dry.
- Sow: Winter pansies and violas, wallflowers, foxgloves and nasturtiums
- Plant: Dahlias, cosmos, sunflowers, nasturtiums, annual climbers and zinnias
- Prune and cut back: Hardy geraniums, siberian bugloss, wisteria, spring clematis (group 1), large-flowered clematis (group 2), weigela, heleniums, border phlox and 2 more
- Look after: Tulips, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), sweet box, winter viburnum, wallflowers, hostas, shrub roses and 28 more
- Enjoy: Border alliums, foxgloves, shrub roses, english lavender, sweet peas, climbers for walls and fences, perennial wildflower meadow, heucheras and 17 more
July
Picnics, lavender and butterflies. Deadhead to keep flowers coming, or leave some seedheads for the birds.
- Sow: Winter pansies and violas, wallflowers and foxgloves
- Prune and cut back: Foxgloves, shrub roses, hardy geraniums, siberian bugloss, hardy border salvias, wisteria, large-flowered clematis (group 2), mock orange and 5 more
- Look after: Border alliums, hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), sweet box, winter viburnum, shrub roses, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas and 26 more
- Enjoy: Hostas, foxgloves, echinacea, ornamental grasses, shrub roses, english lavender, dahlias, cosmos and 30 more
August
Dahlias and sunflowers in full swing. Order spring bulbs now for the best choice.
- Sow: Winter pansies and violas, wallflowers and foxgloves
- Plant: Hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering)
- Prune and cut back: Foxgloves, english lavender, hardy border salvias, wisteria, mock orange, rambling roses, yew hedging and topiary, box hedging and topiary and 3 more
- Look after: Border alliums, sweet box, winter viburnum, shrub roses, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, nasturtiums and 22 more
- Enjoy: Hostas, echinacea, ornamental grasses, shrub roses, english lavender, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas and 29 more
September
Ripening apples and late colour. A good month to plant daffodils and other spring bulbs.
- Sow: A new lawn, established lawns, perennial wildflower meadow, cornflowers, pot marigolds and love-in-a-mist
- Plant: Daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, border alliums, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering) and 34 more
- Prune and cut back: English lavender, rambling roses, yew hedging and topiary and penstemons
- Look after: Shrub roses, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, nasturtiums, annual climbers, trees, hedges and 20 more
- Enjoy: Hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), echinacea, ornamental grasses, shrub roses, dahlias, cosmos, sweet peas, sunflowers and 22 more
October
Pumpkins and falling leaves. Plant spring bulbs and winter pansies, and get winter protection ready.
- Sow: Sweet peas and perennial wildflower meadow
- Plant: Daffodils, snowdrops, crocuses, border alliums, hyacinths, grape hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering) and 45 more
- Prune and cut back: Hostas and herbaceous peonies
- Look after: Echinacea, shrub roses, dahlias, cosmos, nasturtiums, hedges, a new lawn, established lawns and 5 more
- Enjoy: Winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), ornamental grasses, dahlias, cosmos, nasturtiums, apple and pear trees, panicle hydrangeas and 5 more
November
Bare branches and leaf piles. Plant tulips, and bare-root hedging when the soil is workable.
- Sow: Sweet peas
- Plant: Daffodils, tulips, crocuses, border alliums, hyacinths, winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (winter-flowering), hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering) and 24 more
- Prune and cut back: Hostas, shrub roses, climbing roses, japanese maples and herbaceous peonies
- Look after: Winter pansies and violas, echinacea, shrub roses, dahlias, trees, hedges, a new lawn, established lawns and 3 more
- Enjoy: Winter pansies and violas, hardy cyclamen (autumn-flowering), winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood and ornamental grasses
December
Frosty nights and a robin on the holly. Plant bare-root trees when the ground isn't frozen or waterlogged.
- Plant: Tulips, sweet box, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood, shrub roses, trees, hedges, apple and pear trees and 2 more
- Prune and cut back: Lenten roses, apple and pear trees, climbing roses and japanese maples
- Look after: Winter pansies and violas, shrub roses, trees, hedges, apple and pear trees, a new lawn, established lawns, deciduous agapanthus and 1 more
- Enjoy: Winter pansies and violas, winter heathers, winter viburnum, red-stemmed dogwood and ornamental grasses
Months are planning windows, not fixed dates, based on gardens around London and Surrey. Flowering and harvest times vary with the variety and the weather, and tender plants may need to wait longer in colder or more exposed gardens.
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Questions about this tool
What does Your gardening year show?
What to sow, plant, prune and enjoy in the garden each month. It opens at the current month, and you can slide through the year to plan ahead.
Which gardens is the advice for?
The months are planning windows based on gardens around London and Surrey, not fixed dates. Weather matters more than the calendar: wait if the soil is frozen or waterlogged, and check the forecast before planting anything tender.
When is it safe to plant out tender plants?
Once the risk of frost has passed. Around London and Surrey that is usually some time in May, but late frosts happen and colder gardens may need to wait longer.
Can I keep a list of the plants I like?
Yes. Add plants from any month to your planting calendar, which turns them into a month-by-month plan of jobs that you can tick off and print.
