Early perennials start blooming in March. Many old and new varieties are available
now. Use them as borders, in containers, or mixed with annuals.
Bare root, potted or burlapped plants can be planted now. Bare root plants need to
be planted early before new growth starts. The best selection of bare root plants is
found in February and March.
Peas and sweet peas can be planted as soon as the ground reaches forty five degrees
and is dry enough to work. Squeeze a handful of soil into a ball and push your
thumb into it. If it dents like modeling clay, it is too wet and it will pack into
hard clods that roots cannot penetrate. If the soil crumbles, then it is just right.
Hardy vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, radishes and beets, can be planted from
seed as soon as the soil reaches 45 degrees. A good sign of the time for planting is
when maple leaves begin to appear.
Flower and vegetable seeds can be started indoors for earlier flowers and
produce. Plant seeds three to six weeks before they are to be planted outside.
Gladiolus and begonia bulbs can be planted now. For a continuous bloom of gladiolus,
plant some every two weeks until mid July.
Pruning
Roses should be pruned in late February or early March to remove old, unproductive
and thin, weak canes. Hybrid teas, grandifloras and floribundas are cut to 12 to
18 inches tall. Peace roses should be cut to 24 inches tall. Tree roses are cut to
a 15 to 20 inch diameter ball. Shrub roses should be left about three feet tall,
but scrawny twigs smaller than a pencil or crowded canes should be removed.
Climbers should be thinned if tangled.
Summer flowering deciduous shrubs, such as hydrangeas and rose of sharon, can be
pruned now. Spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia and lilacs, could be pruned
now, but many flowers will be cut off if they are pruned before they bloom. Wait
until summer to prune deciduous plants which are too big because winter pruning
makes them grow even faster.
Fertilizing
Feed bulbs with bone meal or bulb food when the leaves first push out of the ground.
Spring feeding helps them bloom better next year.
All berries except established strawberries could use a good feeding with an all
purpose fertilizer. Wait until after the June harvest to feed strawberries.
All trees and shrubs could use a feeding before growth begins. Use a complete, all
purpose fertilizer, or specialized fertilizer for acid loving plants such as
rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. Scatter the fertilizer under and around the plants.
Lawn Care
Begin applying a complete fertilizer this month. If you have a problem with moss,
use a fertilizer with moss control, then apply lime.
Set the mowing height at 1.5 to 2 inches. This reduces disease problems during wet weather.
Mow when the grass reaches 2.25 or 3 inches so no more that one third of the blade is
removed at one time. If the grass is wet or tall, bag the clippings so they
do not bunch up and smother the grass.
Pests
A strong application of slug bait when hosta buds are about an inch tall can prevent slug
damage for the rest of summer. Sluggo, with iron phosphate, is non-toxic to people and pets and
is listed by OMRI for use in organic gardening for vegetables and berries. Any pellets not
eaten will eventually go into the soil as plant nutrients.
Watch for areas that are thinning or yellowing in an otherwise healthy lawn. It
might be craneflies. To check, drench a square foot of soil with warm, soapy
water. If half inch long, gray brown larvae appear, treat the lawn with
beneficial nematodes or imidacloprid.
Watch for early weeds. They are easier to control when they are young. Hairy Bittercress is
easy to see when the little white flowers appear. Pull them before the seed
pods mature or they will spit out the next crop of weed seeds as you pull them.
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