Hi Jill, It's hard to have to figure out the best time so far in advance. At the last minute it could rain. I start outside doing projects and pruning as soon as the weather cooperates, sometimes in March, or in April, but that's just me. I usually have too much to do and want to get my vegetable beds going. I also like to beat the mosquitoes. I really like to work in cooler temperatures, so I want to be done with the majority of work by Memorial Day the end of May.

If I were going to take a week off, I would pick my favorite time of year and if it ended up being too hot, too cold, too wet, I would have something else planned that I could do in those circumstances. Save a project or two you can do indoors, or in the garage or basement. If you have digging that you need to do, the ground has to be workable, which really does depend on the weather. And if you don't finish it, maybe you can do that the next weekend. Who knows, maybe you'll have perfect weather and get a lot done.

PM2 has good advice.

Where are you located? Spring arrival in New England is really variable. Here on the southeast MA coast spring is usually really late and it doesn't really warm up until well after Memorial Day. Other regions have a traditional spring and Memorial Day is already in summertime.

Another issue is what kind of landscaping are you planning to do? If you're going to be buying a lot of new plants, then you need the local nurseries to be open and well-stocked. Your local nurseries may be concentrating on what's in bloom early in the season which may not be what you want to be planting if you want the garden to look good later on.

Mail order purchases would avoid that problem, but it would be a good idea to find out when the nurseries are open and what they'll be carrying (if there's anyone around now to ask). Shrubs can be planted early but you still have to get them somewhere.

If your landscaping plans are mostly lawn and hardscape then you have more leeway, but mud season may get in the way.

It's not an easy question.

Claire

Claire, I'm impressed. I was on solid ground just sharing what I do myself, but you have filled in the blanks that I missed, thinking about it from multiple circumstances.
:-)

Hey Jill, I agree with Claire that it depends on what exactly you're planning on doing. Like PM2 said, lots can be done even earlier in the season. If it's all about planting I would tend to shoot for mid-May.

Also, you emailed me offline but GW is not letting me get back to you. Something about your settings. I got my 'Hartlage Wine' down in NC. The only nursery I've seen it in is Cackleberrries in Meredith, NH and that was a while ago. If you can find it, it's a wonderful shrub (small tree). This year it bloomed throughout the whole summer off and on.

Thanks, PM2 - I started from your response and added on. I did forget the issue of last frost which is always a headache. I remember one year when I was still living in NYC and coming up here at regular intervals. One of my favorite times was first full week in May which was daffodil time, and the old flowering crabapple always bloomed that week. Frost free date here is usually May 1.

I happily planted away while I was here and then went back to NYC. When I came up again in June I discovered to my horror that a late frost had killed or damaged some of the stuff I had planted and set back established plantings.

I guess my situation then was similar to what Jill is facing now - how to schedule vacation time when you don't really know what the weather's going to do.

As T2D says, Mid-May sounds good for planting. But it depends....

Claire

I forgot that too, Claire. I bet it was an exciting time anticipating gardening where you are now. Your frost free is May 1st, I think I don't actually depend on frost free til the middle of May here. Middle of May would be more comfortable to be outdoors too.

jillyluis - you've received great suggestions & advice above. I would add/suggest you keep some sort of garden diary or journal [if you can find the time] to give you some reference point as to when the first/last frosts occur where you are from one year to the next. I started keeping garden notes back in 2008 and have frequently referred back to that information when making more recent garden plans/decisions.

While we're both in Z6a, our gardens could be vastly different in terms of precipitation, sun/shade patterns, soil type, topography, etc., so it wouldn't be of any help for me to compare your situation to my own. As Claire points out, in some parts of New England, "Memorial Day is already in summertime." That said, late April would be too early where I am. It's been my experience that May is pretty much ideal here for garden chores.

If your "ton of landscaping" involves hardscaping, chances are April would be okay but as Claire pointed out, "...mud season may get in the way." Most of my hardscaping was done later in the season when the soil had dried out.

No matter what your garden goals may be, to avoid frustration there's one rule about perennials it's wise to recall: first year they sleep, second year they creep, third year they leap. I've found this to be true of nursery-grown plants as well as those grown from seed via winter sowing. Having patience + realistic expectations of your garden beds is often beneficial, not to mention comforting.

Best of luck to you & your garden!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I live in Lexington MA, about 10-15 miles northwest of Boston. Our hardscaping was done last year, as was the grass, and a few small areas. About a third of the space is pretty protected by privacy fence or our higher neighbor's retaining walls and so seem to be a warm micro-climate (there is even one section that hasn't frosted yet). The rest is in the front yard...I have some ideas going for the back, but the front is pretty daunting to me right now, luckily I have a nice long winter to figure it out....

Sounds like May is winning out, though that is a bit more of a challenge for me. My husband and I have an anniversary trip planned the last week in May. My work frowns on two weeks off in the same month, though doesn't forbid it, so I'll have to look at that again

Thanks for the info on Hartlage Wine, thyme. It looks like it will be mail-order for me, but that will be another post.

Thanks guys!

Hey Jill,I just had a hunch and looked up Broken Arrow Nursery in Ct and they have it. I've always wanted to go there. It's supposed to be a great nursery with good quality plant material. I'm not sure if they ship but may be close enough to you for a road trip.

I've done a lot of planting in early June. I usually focus April and May on cleaning ou the yard and the garden beds. Memorial Day I plant the veggie garden. Then I start to focus on the perennial beds. In early June, everything existing has popped out of the ground so I know where the "holes" are. I no longer have to worry about a late frost killing things. And I'm outside every day watering the newly planted veggie bed, so have no problems adding new perennials to the watering routine. I've also found that the garden centers are over their May rush, so I find that staff have a bit more time to help you pick plants and give you gardening advice.