Minnesota's growing season is short and intense. Get the timing right and your plants thrive for 30 years. Get it wrong and you fight the same battles every spring. Here's our month-by-month playbook for Twin Cities zones 4b through 5a.
March โ Watch and Wait
Nothing should go in the ground yet. The frost line is still 2โ3 feet deep. Use this month to walk your yard with your phone, photograph problem spots, and order what you want to plant. Browse our catalog and we'll deliver as soon as the ground thaws.
April โ Cleanup and First Pruning
Once the snow is fully gone, cut back ornamental grasses to 4โ6 inches. Prune red-twig and yellow-twig dogwoods to keep stem color vivid. Wait on cutting back perennials โ many pollinators overwinter in those stems.
May โ Plant the Hardy Stuff
Most evergreens, hardy shrubs, and trees can go in once nighttime lows stay above 32ยฐF (usually mid-May in the Twin Cities). Hold flowering tropicals and tender perennials until after Mother's Day. This is our peak delivery month.
June โ Establish and Water
Newly planted trees and shrubs need deep watering once a week โ about 5 gallons per plant. Don't fertilize new plantings in the first season; you want roots, not top growth.
July โ Mulch and Monitor
Refresh mulch to 2โ3 inches around all woody plants. Keep mulch off the trunk โ a volcano of mulch invites rot. Watch for Japanese beetles (peak in July) on roses, lindens, and serviceberries.
August โ Light Pruning Only
Don't prune flowering shrubs now โ you'll cut off next spring's blooms. Light shaping of evergreens is OK. Stop fertilizing everything; you don't want fresh growth heading into fall.
September โ Best Month to Plant Trees
Cooler temps and warm soil mean trees and shrubs root in fast. Most fall plantings outperform spring plantings the next year. Browse trees and we'll deliver through October.
October โ Final Watering and Mulch
Water deeply one last time before ground freeze (usually late October). Apply 3" of mulch over root zones of fall-planted trees. Don't cut back peonies, hostas, or ornamental grasses yet โ they'll insulate the crown.
November โ Wrap the Vulnerables
Burlap wrap young arborvitae, boxwood, and any evergreen exposed to west winds. Cage young fruit trees to prevent rabbit damage. Pull tender container plantings indoors.
DecemberโFebruary โ Enjoy the Structure
This is why we plant for winter interest. Red-twig dogwoods glow against snow. Evergreens hold their color. Ornamental grasses catch frost. Walk your yard โ see what's working and what's bare. Make the plan for next spring.
Want a printable version?
The full Twin Cities Plant Care Calendar is available as a free downloadable PDF โ pin it to your garage door, your potting shed, or your fridge. Download the PDF โ
And if you're starting a new yard or refreshing an old one, browse our full catalog โ every plant is Minnesota-tested, and you can add the optional Plant Survival Warranty at checkout for first-winter coverage.