Gardening Tips for March 2026

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Perennials - Veronica ‘Georgia Blue’, Campanula portenschlagiana, Dianthus (carnations and pinks), Aquilegia (Columbine), Helleborus.

Annuals – Lobelia, Stock, Snapdragons, Calendula, Alyssum, Violas.  

Early blooming vines - 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, Cyclamen.

Bulbs – Spring Planted, Summer Flowering, such as Begonia, Dahlia, Canna.

Veggies- Rhubarb, Radish Seeds, Leek, Potato, Carrot Seeds, Peas.  

Extras– Insecticidal Soap, Maxsea Fertilizers, Stakes, Twine (avoid wire or plastic tape), Plant Labels, Bait for slugs, snails, earwigs, cutworms and sowbugs (Mary uses Sluggo Plus -Watch for a Blog Post soon on the subject of Birds and Sluggo).


 

• Seed Starting Indoors - March is an exciting time for many gardeners as it's time to start seeds of flowers and vegetables! Having a greenhouse with bottom heat is ideal but some seeds, such as Zucchini and Sunflowers can be started inside the house when enough sun and warmth is provided. Not to worry if growing seeds is not for you. Starting seeds 4 to 6 weeks before the last average frost date for your area (Sonoma County is April 15th) mainly gives a jumpstart to the spring season. Also, starting plants by seed gives one a bigger selection of varieties to grow.
  Zucchini and other summer squash, Spinach, Arugula etc. Plus, Zinnias, Cosmos, Marigold, Salpiglossis sinuata etc.  
• Potatoes and Peas – St. Patrick’s Day is a good marker for when to get Potatoes and Peas planted.
• 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.  

• 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. Contact Mary for an appointment to Learn How to do this spring Irrigation System Check.
  
• Pruning - Salvias, Erigeron, Clematis Hybrids (the large flowering, repeat bloomers), 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, Bellis perennis, Violas, and Pansies. Also, fertilizing can begin mid to late this month for 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.
  
• Pest Management - It may be a little late now to put up wasp traps if you plan to be entertaining in your garden this summer but if you missed setting the traps last month, put them out now to try and catch the queen. Wasps can be beneficial in the garden so if they pose no problem there’s no need to trap. Also, Codling Moth Pheromone Traps can be placed in apple trees early in the month. Or use half molasses and half water in a hanging old oil can (this technique has really worked well). Continue to bait for slugs, snails, earwigs and sowbugs. For aphids on 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.  
• Please, forgive spacing problems in this post, that's GoDaddy not The Gardening Tutor.

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ALL CONTENT by Mary Frost (no AI).