Yew Dell Botanical Gardens $5M castle improvement project
Kentucky’s tiniest castle gets a $5 million royal facelift at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens. Take a peek.
Gardeners can use the winter months to reflect on the past year, organize photos, and maintain their tools.Spring and summer are prime times for planting, pruning, sharing your garden with others, and setting up irrigation.Fall is the ideal time for planting bulbs, adding compost to beds, and preparing the garden for winter.
Exactly when is Christmas over? I mean I know we’re supposed to hold on to the spirit of Christmas, Hanukah, and the general and necessary community hug that happens this time of year. But at some point we need to re-introduce some daily rituals and chores like recycling all the gift wrap and cleaning out the refrigerator. It’s confusing to know when the season ends, especially when my darling wife is ready to take down the Christmas tree on July 4, if you’re keeping score.
I took a stab at Google Gemini and it tells me that traditionally, the Christmas season ends on the Feast of Epiphany which in 2026 occurs “on Tuesday, Jan. 6 for traditional observance but in the U.S. and some other countries, the Catholic Church celebrates it on the first Sunday after Jan. 1, making it Sunday, Jan. 4, with celebrations continuing through the week until the Baptism of the Lord on Jan. 11. Eastern Orthodox Churches, using the Julian calendar, observe it later, on Jan. 19.”
Got it? You do your date and my wife will do hers.
For me, I’m sticking to Jan. 1, the day when gardeners all around the globe sit down and with great intent and bursting with enthusiasm, sketch out their garden plans for the new year — you know, the gardener’s New Year’s resolutions.
Without further ado, here is some suggestions on what the gardener should do for each month of 2026:
What to do in the garden in January
Thou shalt not dwell on the garden oversights, the didn’t get tos, the I really meant tos of the year past. But at the same time, thou shalt not forget the lessons hard learned and the precious little moments the garden provided through the year. January is give-yourself-a-break month so you can ease into the year without a muck bucket full of 2025 garden guilt. Maybe sharpen a few tools to give you something to do this month.
What to do in the garden in February
February in the northern states, the ground is frozen halfway to China. Hard to do much in the garden. And all those poor souls down south — it’s just so darned inconvenient to have to dig out a light sweater to go work in the garden.
For most of us, February is a great time to put that silly smart phone to use. Open up that photo app and go to your folder of garden pictures (you’re that organized, right? You have all the photos of your own garden sorted, labeled, and chronologically sifted into folders, right?) A preseason review of those pictures is a great way to remind yourself of things that worked and things you promised yourself you’d change.
It’s also a good time to oil your pruners and untangle the mess of gardening supplies you hastily threw in the garage last November.
What to do in the garden in March
Thou shalt finally get over all the hand holding and reminiscing stuff and get thy keister back to work.
March is gardening season no matter where you live. In the North, you take advantage of those occasional crystal blue skies and reasonable temperatures to get out the pruners and have a so-satisfying pruning session. Down South, you’re probably already enjoying your first fresh salad of the season.
If you haven’t already, sharpen your mower blades and scrape all the gunk out from under the mower deck.
What to do in the garden in April
If you’re not doing something in the garden in April, well, not sure I have a cure for you. Whether you are a card-carrying garden geek or a homeowner who keeps it simple, this is a great time to once again pull out that phone. Snap a few pictures for no other reason than to document what’s where. When fall bulb planting season comes around, it’s nice to know where you have spring gems you don’t want to dig up by mistake.
Summer’s coming. Time to get all the irrigation supplies out and order what you swore you had but still can find.
What to do in the garden in May
Show off your garden. OK, as gardeners we’re not show-offs. We garden for the love of the garden, yadda, yadda, yadda. Maybe, share your garden, is a better way to look at it. You put in so much work. Why not invite others in to enjoy it, too? Doesn’t have to be a big, honkin’ deal. A Saturday morning cup of coffee with a few friends. Dessert and a glass of lemonade with neighbors. Whatever. Gardens are made to be shared.
And if you have sufficiently thick skin, invite in a few creative people to do a design critique. It’s a great way to drum up new ideas for next year.
Re-edge your beds. They’re looking a little tired from all the spring activity. Noting smartens up a garden like freshly spade-cut bed edges.
What to do in the garden in June
If you haven’t already started, it’s time to begin the annual rite of hose dragging. But life is so much easier if you replace that leaky hose bib that seems to know when you’re dressed for work, church, or a job interview. Spend some time thinking strategically about how you can simplify daily watering tasks. One good friend broke down and installed a fertilizer injector in his basement, connected to an outside hose bib for watering all his zillions of potted annuals. Over the top? Not if you’re the one hauling the hoses every day!
Do some training work on your tomatoes. Don’t bother checking. They need it!
What to do in the garden in July
Enjoy your tomatoes! Or you could just go on vacation and let the neighbor do the watering for you.
And while you’re enjoying yourself, order your bulbs for fall planting so you don’t end up stuck with whatever is leftover in a big box store in November. Give your annuals a shot of fertilizer and maybe also a haircut.
What to do in the garden in August
Still on vacation? That’s fine. But as soon as you get home, it will be time to plant out those fall vegetable additions so your season doesn’t end with just a bunch of yellowing tomato vines.
What to do in the garden in September
Life is good. The temperatures are returning to something resembling those of a habitable planet. Fertilize everything, lightly. Start thinking about where you’re going to move grandma’s giant gardenia when the cold weather hits.
What to do in the garden in October
Check spring’s phone photos to determine where not to dig so you don’t unintentionally slice up an expensive clump of bulbs or summer dormant perennial. Add a light layer of compost to your beds.
What to do in the garden in November
Here’s an original thought — actually plan how, and when, to decommission the growing season’s apparatus. Emptying pots of annuals — and storing the pots. Deconstructing all the irrigation stuff.
Having an actual plan works so much better than driving home from work and hearing the radio forecast for a hard freeze that night and then realizing all your faucets need to be turned off, hoses drained, and grandma’s giant gardenia quietly slipped into the neighbor’s sun room while they’re at Pilates class.
What to do in the garden in December
Forget it. You’ve been so busy all year with all your meticulously planned garden tasks, you haven’t done a stitch of holiday shopping. You might want to get on that now. Even Amazon has a cutoff delivery date!
Paul Cappiello is the executive director at Yew Dell Botanical Gardens, 6220 Old Lagrange Road, yewdellgardens.org.
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