Gardening Tips for March 2023

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• Early blooming vines (climbing plants) - Hardenbergia, Gelsemium sempervirens (Carolina jessamine), Clematis armandii and Jasminum polyanthum (smell the blooms before buying to make sure you like the fragrance of these two vines).
• Early blooming shrubs- Lilac, Forsythia, Grevillea 'Scarlet Sprite', Flowering quince, Rhododendrons, Late Blooming Camellias.  
• Bulbs in pots- Freesia, Anemone, Ranunculus.
• Veggies- Rhubarb, Radish Seeds, Leek, Potato, Carrot Seeds.  
• Extras - Insecticidal Soap, Bamboo Stakes.

• Check Irrigation Systems - Before applying a layer of mulch to the garden, it's best to do an audit of the irrigation system. Flush all the lines, check that all emitters are working well and fix any leaks. Learn How to do this spring Irrigation System Check-Schedule your Appointment with Mary today.
• Summer Veggie Garden-If you are planning a summer vegetable garden, work a few inches of compost into the soil once the soil is workable (damp but not soggy). If your compost is not aged allow some time to pass before planting in the amended area. By now, soil levels in raised beds may have sunk quite a bit (due to degrading and compaction). For best drainage, add soil by mixing some new with the old before adding the rest of the new soil.
• Pruning - Salvias, Erigeron, Clematis Hybrids (the large flowering, repeat bloomers) before they push growth. If you miss the window for pruning before they push, prune them down to 3 sets of new stems on each leader. Watch The Gardening Tutor Video: Clematis Hybrids 101 How to Care for and Train Clematis Hybrids. Teucrium fruticans, Teucrium chamaedrys and many other plants are pruned or sheared this month as we get closer to our frost season ending. Watch The Gardening Tutor video: Shearing Plants to Encourage Flowers or Foliage.
• Fertilizing–Continue to fertilize Winter Blooming Annuals, such as Iceland Poppy and Pansies. Also, fertilizing can begin mid to late this month or many garden plants, such as Citrus and Roses. After blooms fade on Rhododendrons and Azaleas, fertilize with an Acid Type Fertilizer (Mary uses MaxSea). Evergreen shrubs will appreciate a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen and/or a 3 inch layer of compost as mulch.
• Pest Management-Yellowjacket queens are going to start coming out of hibernation soon. It's time to put up wasp traps if you plan to be entertaining in your garden this summer. Otherwise, wasps can be beneficial in the garden. Also, Codling Moth Pheromone Traps can be placed in apple trees early in the month. Continue to bait for slugs, snails, earwigs and sowbugs. For aphidson your roses, you can use a strong spray of water to blow them off (hold your hand behind the bud and foliage so they don’t get shredded by the forceful spray of water). Trapping-Continue to trap for gophers and moles where needed. Also, you can feed the trapped gophers and moles to hawks and buzzards by setting the carcass on the top of a fence. Do Not Feed Poisoned ones to birds of prey though as this may poison the birds. The goal with trapping  is to Avoid the use of poison. Watch The Gardening Tutor video How to Trap Gophers and Moles.  
• Weeding -Pulling weeds takes top priority this month! If time is limited, at least pull the weeds that are growing close to your desired plants; weeds compete (and usually win) for nutrients and water that your plants need. Watch The Gardening Tutor Video: Weeds – How They Grow and How to Manage Them. 

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