Geneva Garden Calendar: A Month-by-Month Guide
The Geneva garden calendar follows a simple rhythm: pruning and protection in winter, lawn recovery and sowing in spring, watering and regular mowing in summer, planting and leaf clearing in autumn. The Lake Geneva climate, with its cool winters, the bise wind and summers that are increasingly hot and dry, sometimes shifts these tasks by a week or two depending on the year. Here are the jobs to plan month by month, whether you have a villa, a condominium (PPE) or green spaces managed by a property management company.
How to read this calendar
A garden calendar gives you guideposts, not fixed dates. The year’s weather, the exposure of the plot, its altitude and the type of soil matter as much as the month shown. A garden on the lakeshore does not follow the same rhythm as a plot exposed to the bise or sitting in a hollow where the cold lingers.
A few principles hold all year round:
- observe the ground before acting: frozen or waterlogged soil should not be worked;
- adapt your actions to the current weather, not to the date alone;
- keep notes of what you do each year, and you will get more precise from one season to the next;
- prioritise what cannot wait (pruning trees while they are dormant, draining the irrigation system before frost).
Winter: December, January, February
Winter is the season for pruning and preparation. Vegetation is dormant, trees are bare and their structure is easy to see.
January
This is the heart of the dormant season. Outside periods of hard frost, you can prune pome fruit trees and some ornamental trees, removing dead wood, crossing branches and those that crowd the centre of the crown. Check the protection put in place in December (winter fleece, mulch): the bise can tear it away. Do not walk on a frozen lawn, as you would damage the grass blades.
February
The last days of winter pruning are now, before vegetation wakes up. Clean and sharpen your tools and check the mowing equipment. If the soil is neither frozen nor waterlogged, you can start preparing the beds. On clay soil, be patient: heavy earth worked when too wet compacts and hardens.
December
Finish clearing the last leaves, especially from the lawn and the beds. Protect tender plants and pots from frost; you can raise them off the ground or wrap them. Make sure the automatic irrigation system is drained and the outdoor taps are emptied, so that residual water does not burst the pipes.
Spring: March, April, May
Spring is the season for getting things going again: lawn, planting, sowing and the first hedge trimming.
March
As soon as the soil has dried out, scarify and aerate the lawn to remove the thatch of moss and dead grass, then fill in bare patches by sowing. The first mowing takes place when the grass starts growing again, with the cutting height set higher. Prune roses and summer-flowering shrubs. Keep an eye out for late frosts, which remain possible: do not uncover sensitive plants too early.
April
The lawn is growing and mowing becomes regular. This is the right time to plant perennials and shrubs, divide clumps and prepare the vegetable patch. Bring the automatic irrigation back into service gradually: check the nozzles, solenoid valves and controller, then test each zone. For a new installation, see our page on automatic irrigation.
May
Vegetation is in full swing. Plant annuals and cold-sensitive vegetables once the risk of frost has passed. Mulch the beds to limit evaporation before summer. Evergreen hedges can have a first shaping trim; for the periods to respect, particularly for nesting birds, see our guide on when to trim a hedge.
Summer: June, July, August
In the Lake Geneva climate, summers are increasingly hot and dry. The work is mostly about maintenance and saving water.
June
Prune shrubs that have just finished flowering, give fast-growing hedges their spring-summer trim and stake tall plants. Mowing remains frequent. Check that the irrigation covers every zone properly, with no waste and no forgotten area.
July
Water infrequently but deeply, early in the morning or in the evening, so that roots go down in search of water. Raise the mowing height: longer grass protects the soil and withstands drought better. Avoid any heavy pruning during hot spells. You will find our detailed advice in the guide on watering the garden during drought.
August
Keep up sensible watering and watch young plantings, which are the most vulnerable. A lawn that turns yellow in dry weather is not necessarily lost: it often recovers with the first rains. Use this quiet period to take stock of autumn projects: new plantings, restoration work, landscaping.
Autumn: September, October, November
Autumn is the best season for planting: the soil is still warm, the rains return and roots settle in before winter.
September
Reseed or patch the lawn after light scarifying. This is also the time for an end-of-season hedge trim, if it has not been done. Prepare the planting areas by loosening the soil; on clay soil, adding organic matter and coarse sand improves drainage.
October
Plant bare-root or container-grown trees, shrubs and hedges, and put in spring bulbs. Start regular leaf clearing: a carpet of wet leaves smothers the lawn. Healthy leaves can be composted or used as mulch.
November
Keep planting as long as the soil is not frozen. Drain the automatic irrigation system: empty the pipes, switch off the supply and frost-proof the controller. Do a last mow before winter, then clean and put away your tools. Protect tender plants before the first cold snaps.
In Geneva: what is different
The Geneva basin has its own particularities. Winters are cool and frost remains possible, without any way of fixing the date: it is better to watch the forecasts than to rely on the calendar. The bise, a dry, cold wind, dries out evergreen hedges and young plantings, especially in late winter; a sheltered position or solid staking makes all the difference. Hotter, drier summers mean planning your watering ahead and choosing suitable plants. Finally, the often clay soils hold water in winter and crack in summer: work them at the right time and improve them with amendments.
Constraints vary from one municipality to another: sloping plots by the lake, more open plots on the left bank. Our local pages go into these contexts, for example for a gardener in Cologny, a gardener in Carouge or a gardener in Versoix. Cantonal rules on trees and hedges may apply to your plot: find out before any major pruning or felling.
Hiring a landscape gardener
Keeping to this calendar takes time and equipment, especially for a large property or shared spaces. A landscape gardener comes to your property, assesses the ground and proposes maintenance suited to the seasons, from garden maintenance to lawn mowing and care, including hedge trimming or, for a new project, garden creation. To request a quote, describe your project: a qualified landscape gardener will get back to you within 24 hours for a visit and a free, no-obligation quote.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best month for planting in Geneva?
Autumn, from September to November, is the most favourable period for trees, shrubs and hedges: the soil is still warm and the rains help roots to establish. Spring also works, with more consistent watering through the following summer.
When should trees be pruned in winter?
During the dormant season, from December to February, outside periods of hard frost. Some species are pruned at other times, for example spring-flowering shrubs just after flowering. If you are unsure about a large tree, have the situation assessed on site.
When should the automatic irrigation be drained?
Before the first frosts, generally in November. Water left in the pipes can freeze and burst them. Conversely, the system is brought back into service in spring, once the risk of overnight frost has passed, with a check of each zone.
Should the lawn be mown in autumn?
Yes, as long as the grass is growing, with a slightly higher cutting height at the end of the season. Also clear leaves regularly: left on the lawn, they smother it and encourage moss.
Does the calendar change from one municipality to another?
Slightly. Exposure, proximity to the lake, slope and soil type shift some tasks by a few weeks. The principle remains the same: observe the ground and the weather before acting.