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Monthly Garden Tips

March

Azaleas

While azaleas are in bloom is a great time to select and add them to your landscape. They like acid soil that is moist and well-drained. They also prefer filtered shade, like that under pine trees. Mulch with pine needles, pine bark, or something similar. Water weekly.

Bare-root Trees and Shrubs

You can still plant them in the Upper South and at higher elevations, but they probably won't thrive if planted now in hotter areas. If in doubt, check with your local garden center or county extension office.

Bulbs

Remove the spent blossoms on Spring flowering bulbs, so the energy will go back to the roots, so they can build energy for next year. Leave the foliage until it dies back naturally. Fertilize with 5-10-10 or similar complete fertilizer.

Begin setting out Summer-flowering bulbs, such as amaryllis, canna, and caladuim, as soon as danger of frost is past. Dig soil to a depth of 8 to 10 inches and work in organic matter. Bone meal may also be added.

Plant gladiolus corms now, about 4 inches deep, 4 to 6 inches apart, in a sunny spot. For a longer flowering time, make plantings every two weeks through May. The best time to stake tall plants, like gladiolus and dahlias is at planting. Drive stakes 18 inches into the ground; when the plants reach 3 feet, tie them to the stake, loosely, with strips of cloth.

Cacti and Succulents

As days grow longer and new growth appears, resume normal watering. Fertilize monthly with a mild solution of fertilizer.

Figs

Now is a good time to plant a fig. Figs are not particular about soil, but do prefer full sun.

Flowers

Root cuttings of coleus, begonia, and chrysanthemum.

• Annuals--In the Upper South, you can plant seeds or established seedlings for cool-season flowers, such as sweet peas when you can work the ground. Sow seeds of cornflower, poppy, glove amaranth, alyssum, nasturtiums, and strawflower.


• Plant warm season annuals, such as marigolds, and petunias, after danger of frost has passed in your area.


• In the Lower South, set out marigolds, impatiens and other summer annuals as soon as danger of frost has passed. Sow seeds of candytuft, gaillardia, rudbeckia, and verbena.
  In the Middle and Upper South, set out pansies, calendula, and other frost-hardy annuals; sow seeds of summer annuals now to set out next month.


• For color in the shade, consider ageratum, browallia, begonia, coleus, Drummond phlox, English daisy, flowering tobacco, forget-me-not, and torenia. Ferns make excellent companions for colorful annuals.


• Sunflowers can be planted late this month. Sow in open ground, about 18 inches apart.


• Perennials-- You can divide most perennials now, when they've sent up a couple of inches of foliage. Floppy stems, reduced blooms, or a dead spot in the middle is an indication that they're getting crowded, or you might just want more plants!
  Wait on Spring- blooming perennials to finish blooming, before you divide them.


• Time to rejuvenate established liriope (lilyturf) in the Lower South. (Wait two to four weeks in the Upper and Middle South.) Cut back before growth begins with a lawnmower or string trimmer, to height of 2 to 3 inches.

Fruit Trees

Time for Spring application of pesticides on peaches, apples, and pears. Apply a fungicide just before the buds open; apply both fungicide and insecticide after petals drop.
Remove dead and unproductive wood from blueberries to increase fruiting. Prune weak growth from older wood, and cut suckers back to ground level.

Herbs

Plant thyme, mint, and oregano now. Wait till after frost to plant dill, fennel, and basil.
Get a head start by starting seeds of chives, sage, sweet marjoram, basil, summer savory, dill and parsley. Sow in moist medium and place in a sunny window. When seedlings are 2 to 3 inches tall, transplant into pots for growing on a terrace or balcony or into peat pots for planting in the garden after the last frost.

Houseplants

Cut back leggy plants, such as Swedish ivy, wandering Jew, and geraniums; then root the cuttings. Wash dust and insecticide residues off plants by sponging them off with soapy water.
Repot over crowded plants as needed.

Begin fertilizing houseplants every 2 weeks.

Lawns

Lawns should be fertilized this month. For best coverage, use a fertilizer spreader instead of broadcasting by hand.
In the Lower South, begin planting warm-season lawn grasses such as Bermuda, Zoysia, St Augustine and centipede.
Check the lawnmower and other lawn care equipment to get ready for the upcoming season.

Mulch

Now is the time to mulch all flower and shrubbery beds, before new weed growth begins. Spread organic mulch about 4 inches thick around plants. Thick layers of newspaper works, too.

Pruning

Finish your pruning this month, except for Spring blooming shrubs. Prune them right after they finish blooming.
Don't prune winter damage, until new growth is abundant, then you won't have to guess where the dead wood ends. On evergreens, look for blackened leaves and stems: make cuts a few inches below the damage.

Roses

Prune rose bushes. Select three or four of the strongest canes, and remove all the others. Don't prune climbers or ramblers until after the first flush of blooms.

Fertilize all roses this month with complete fertilizer or special rose fertilizer.
Feed before bud swell with ½ cup 5-10-5 per plant. Watch for aphids.
Begin spraying roses as soon as new growth begins, to prevent blackspot, powdery mildew, and rust.

Shrubs

Prune, except for Spring bloomers; wait until after bloom.
Fertilize with a complete fertilizer and water in.

Watch for petal blight on camellias. Brown spots on the petals are the main symptom. Remove affected blooms, and clean up any that have fallen around the plant. Remove old mulch and burn or discard it. Apply new mulch.

Add some new shrubs! Dependable choices for the South include border forsythia, spireas, double Japanese kerria, Burkwood viburnum, doublefile viburnum, slender deutzia, and star magnolia.

Vegetables

As soon as the soil is dry enough to work, start preparing for the summer garden. Till the soil to depth of 10 to 12 inches and work in plenty of organic material. If the material isn't thoroughly rotted, add nitrogen to speed up decomposition.

In the Upper South, you can plant seeds or established seedlings for cool-season crops, such as radishes, peas, lettuces, greens, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, carrots, and others almost as soon as you can easily work the ground. Plant them 12 to 18 inches apart in the row, and check often for slugs and aphids.

Wait to plant warm season vegetables, such as tomatoes and peppers, until danger of frost has passed in your area.

In the Deep South, you can plant seeds for corn, green beans, squashes, cucumbers, okra, sweet potatoes and other heat-lovers once the soil has warmed to 60 degrees F-warm enough to walk in it barefoot, usually 2 weeks after the last frost date.

Check with your local extension agent for the last expected frost date for your area, or click on Victory Seeds for a frost map.

Vines

Wisteria needs to be fertilized with 1 cup superphosphate.