Monthly Garden "To Dos"

• Saucer Magnolia, Bradford Pear, Flowering Cherry, Forsythia, Star Magnolia, Breath-of- Spring (Winter Honeysuckle), Spirea, Flowering Quince, Carolina Jessamine, Periwinkle, Thrift, Violets, Crocus, Daffodils, Hyacinths and Tulips

• Fertilize your important shade trees
• Fertilize asparagus beds early in March before spear growth begins
• Ponds should be fertilized starting this month and continuing through October
• Before planting your vegetable s, fertilize your garden as recommended by your soil test results. Lime should be applied in the autumn. If it was recommended but not applied, apply the recommended amount of lime during this month.

• Plant a tree for Arbor Day! Arbor Day is the first Friday after March 15.
• Plant your small fruit plants, grape vines and fruit trees before the buds break.
• March is a good month to transplant trees and shrubs.
• New shrubs and ground covers can be planted the entire month of March. Be sure to follow your planting plan.
• Plant seeds of the folowing perennials: columbine, hollyhock, coreopsis, daisy and phlox. Sweet William can also be planted this month.
• Plant new rose bushes.
• Plants of broccoli, cabbage and caulioflower should be set out in the garden in mid-March.
• The following vegetables can be planted this month: beets, carrots, Chinese cabbage, kale, kholrabi, lettuce, Swiss chard and turnips.
• Start any annual flowers inside your homes that are not commercially available in early March.

Pruning

• Prune spring flowering plants like forsythia, spirea, breath-of-spring(Winter Honeysuckle) and flowering quince after the flowers fade.
• Prune roses before buds break.
• Prune shrubs like abelia, mahonia and nandina this month if needed.
• Pick off faded flowers of pansy and daffodil. Pansies will flower longer if old flowers are removed.

Spraying

• Spray the following landscape shrubs for the following insect pests: camellia-tea scale, euonymous-scale, juniper-spider mites and hybrid rhododendron-borer.
• Start your rose spray program just prior to bud break.
• Spray iris beds for iris borers starting in mid-March.
• Spray your apple and pear trees with streptomycin for control of fireblight. Pears MUST be sprayed.

• Apply crabgrass herbicides to your lawn late this month to help control crabgrass in turf.
• Mow your tall fescue lawn as needed.

Propagation

• Continue to divide perennials like daylily, shasta daisy, gaillardia and coreopsis this month. Cannas can also be divided this month.

Specific Chores