PLANTING
- Plant these annuals early in the month for spring color: petunias, larkspurs, foxgloves and stocks. Other annuals such as marigolds, celosia and wax begonias may be planted late in the month.
- Plant tomatoes, peppers and eggplants from 4” pots after March 15th. Plants should be hardened off (gradually exposed to outside conditions) before planting in the ground.
- Plant warm-season vegetables – beans, corn, squash, melons, and cucumbers starting mid-month.
- Plant herbs in raised beds with soil amended with organic matter. Harden off plants before planting.
- Plant perennial flowers in amended, well-drained soil. Know each plant’s prime blooming season, height, width and color to ensure season-long color. Mulch new plantings. Use sunscreen.
FERTILIZING AND PRUNING
- Trees, shrubs, vines, and groundcovers can be fed with high-nitrogen fertilizer or compost. For patio pots and container gardens, apply a diluted, water-soluble, high-nitrogen fertilizer once a week.
- Remove old growth from Bermuda grass lawns by lowering mower one or two notches, allowing the grass to spread faster and choke out weeds. Bag the clippings for composting or mulching.
- Prune spring-flowering shrubs and vines such as flowering quince, azaleas, forsythia, bridal wreath (Spiraea), Lady Banksia rose, and Carolina jessamine immediately when blooms fade. Use sunscreen.
GARDEN WATCH
- If frost or freeze is predicted, cover tender vegetables and annuals with frost cloth. It can make a six to eight-degree difference.
- Beware of close-out sales on bare-root trees as survival rate is low when planted this late in the season. Spend a little more on container-grown plants.
- Control black spot, powdery mildew and thrips on roses with an appropriate fungicide or systemic insecticide. Use a stream of water or insecticidal soap on aphids.
- Apply pre-emergent herbicides on lawns to control broadleaf and grassy weeds if needed. A “weed and feed” fertilizer is not recommended because it is too early to fertilize lawns. Use sunscreen.