Gardening Tips for March 2025

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• Trees - Cornus (Dogwood), Fruit trees, Chionanthus retusus (Chinese Fringe tree).  
• Shrubs - Camellia, Kerria japonica, Rhododendron, Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’, Choisya ternata.
• Perennials - Euphorbia, Aquilegia (Columbine), Dicentra spectabilis.
• Annuals - Calendula, Schizanthus pinnatus, Bellis perennis.  
• Vines - Clematis armandii, Jasminum polyanthum.
• Bulbs - Summer flowering bulbs such as Dahlia, Gladiolus and Liatris. 
• Bulbs bought as plants - Anemone, Ranunculus, and Freesia.  
• Veggies: Beets, Carrots, Fava beans, Leeks, Peas, Radish, Potato tubers, Artichoke (roots).  
• Extras - Insecticidal Soap Concentrate, Maxsea Fertilizers.

• Weeding - Ranunculus and Anemones are sold as four inch plants at this time of year and make a great splash of color in containers or in ground. Ranunculus do best in containers that can be moved to shelter from hard rains.
• Pruning – Clematis Hybrids (the large flowering Clematis) can be cut back to 2 or 3 sets of buds once you see the buds swelling. Continue to deadhead (remove spent flowers and their stems) from Iceland Poppies, Calendula, Pansies, Bellis perennis, and other winter annuals to keep them blooming well all month. Finish pruning tasks from last month. Mid to late March, shearing can begin on some plants. Watch The Gardening Tutor's video: Shearing Plants to Encourage Foliage and Flowers. Spiraea japonica 'Anthony Waterer' can be sheared straight across, down to 6 to 8 inches. Prune out some of the oldest stems to make room for new stems to fill in. Remember, when shearing plants they will need showers from the hose a couple times a week for 2 or 3 weeks to help them push the new growth. Berberis thunbergii 'Atropurpurea' can still be pruned this month, ideally before leaves start to push. Watch The Gardening Tutor's Video: How to Prune Berberis.
• Pest Management - Set out wasp traps in areas planned for summer entertaining. Otherwise, wasps can be beneficial in the garden. Aphids are attracted to weeds. Fungus also likes some weeds. Keeping weeds pulled will help manage pest populations. Mealybugs look like small white, cottony things on plant leaves and deep inside plants like Phormiums. Mealybug populations grow quickly! Insecticidal soap can help manage them. Remember to saturate the whole plant and under leaves as the soap needs to land on the mealybugs to kill them. Snails and Slugs populations will be ramping up now. Bait or hand pick to get ahead of these hungry pestsFertilizing - Continue to fertilize winter blooming annuals. By mid March fertilizing can begin on many plants. Mary uses Maxsea fertilizers with great results. There are many tips to share about how to fertilize. Contact Mary for a consultation/tutoring.  
• Weeding - There are weeds in every month here in Sonoma County but most have spread by seed by March. Pull them anyway. If you weed whack, rake up as much as you can otherwise the seeds are just on the ground waiting to germinate. For weeds that have lightweight, feathery seeds surround them with your hand to capture the seedheads, pull and place in a bucket with water in the bottom to keep the seeds from flying into the garden.
• Mulch - After the irrigation system is checked for leaks and emitters that are plugged  fixed, it's time to apply a layer of compost as mulch in garden beds. Even bark-type mulch may need a little additional bark to help cover soil. Watch The Gardening Tutor's Video: Mulch vs. Compost. 

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).