March
is when it all begins in our area. Two plants that wake up early
in the spring are rhubarb and
asparagus. They both can be planted as soon as you can put a
shovel into the ground.
Plant onion sets, shallots,
flowering perennials, herbs, landscape trees and shrubs, berry
plants and fruit trees. Buy good stock at reputable nurseries
and get planting
advice from nursery personnel or Master Gardeners.
Hold off on planting any seeds
in the garden. Warm days may be tempting, but the ground is usually
too wet and too cold. Seeds will most likely rot. Be patient.
Treat lawns for crabgrass or annual
bluegrass problems. These are both annual
weeds and can be controlled with early season use of pre-emergent
weed killers. Apply when the forsythia start to bloom.
Tuberous
begonias can be started indoors. Use an acid potting soil
such as prepared begonia mix. Pot begonias with the top of
each tuber level with the soil mix. Water and label.
Record plant and tree varieties
in your notebook as you plant them. Tag and record the colors and
types of bulbs that bloom for later reference after flowers have
died.
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Rake
needles and leaves off lawns to prevent suffocation and mold.
When weather conditions permit, aerate your lawn. Power rake
if thatch is more than ½-inch deep.
Resist the urge to remove the
mulch from spring-flowering plants such as daffodils and tulips.
It can be loosened, but the shoots will still benefit from
protection against cold, drying winds.
It is safe to uncover roses, azaleas,
clematis vines and other shrubs from their mulch covers. Cut
back winter-killed rose canes to one inch below the blackened
area. Cut all rose canes to about six inches above ground level.
You might consider planting some hardy roses this year to minimize
winter damage.
If you have a rock garden, top
dress it with a mixture of sand, loam, and coconut fiber. Early
spring rains will wash the mixture into the soil and leave the
rocks clean.
Fertilize rhododendrons,
azaleas, roses and
other ornamental trees and shrubs as well as fruit trees. Any
standard lawn or garden fertilizer will do. Follow the recommendations
on the fertilizer bag.
Late this month is a good time
to spray trees and shrubs (except blue spruce) that are plagued by
scale insects on branches, twigs and needles. Horticultural
oil sprays help control scale and some mite problems.
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