Landscaping Tips for the Month of March

Planning:

  • Choose planting areas based on exposure to sun, shade, and wind; consider distance from water source
  • Test for soil types and pH levels before major planting

Chores and Maintenance:

  • Carefully remove winter mulches from planting beds
  • Dig beds in preparation for spring planting as soon as earth is friable
  • Add compost in four to six inch layers and work into planting bed soil
  • Remove protective cover from evergreens
  • Reset frost-heaved plants
  • Apply horticultural oil sprays to dormant trees and shrubs before buds open and if there is no danger of night frost
  • As ground becomes workable, de-thatch lawn; fill in low spots with soil; fertilize established lawns

Planting:

  • Plant deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs, weather and soil conditions permitting
  • Sow seeds of annuals and vegetables indoors which require 10-12 weeks before transplanting
  • Sow radish and lettuce seeds directly into the vegetable garden
  • Plant cold weather vegetables like spinach, peas, lettuce and broccoli as soon as soil is workable
  • Plant and transplant perennials
  • Divide and transplant summer-blooming perennials
  • Soak mail order bare-root plants before planting
  • Plant roses

Pruning/Fertilizing:

  • Prune all plant material to remove any diseased, dead, weak or crossing branches
  • Complete tree pruning before new growth begins
  • Prune late flowering shrubs such as buddleia and Hydrangea paniculata but wait until after flowering on early flowering shrubs like forsythia, Hydrangea macrophylla, rhododendron and syringa
  • Wait to prune evergreens, hedges and other shrubs until late spring into early summer
  • Prune all fruit trees before growth begins
  • Prune hybrid tea roses, floribundas and grandifloras but wait until after flowering on climbers and ramblers
  • Prune back leggy perennials
  • Cut back ornamental grasses to new shoots
  • Fertilize deciduous, broad-leaved and needle-leaved evergreen trees and shrubs if not fed in the fall
  • Apply fertilizer to roses as new growth begins
  • Fertilize and lime vegetable garden

Indoors:

  • Begin to transplant pot-bound houseplants
  • Continue to inspect for pests and control as needed
  • Cut back leggy houseplants

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