Lives there a gardener who does n’t beatify to the arrival of March ? Even though I ’m concerned that March arrived too too soon — in February , to be accurate — I ca n’t assist feeling bursts of joy at the survey of green shoot come forth from the worldly concern . There ’s heap to do , of course , though our longstanding calendar of monthly tasks is probably go to need some realigning in view of our changing conditions form . That said , here ’s the To - Do inclination :
Clean up decorative beds
Clean up flower beds and border . take out twigs and other debris . abridge back dead stems and leafage from perennials that were leave standing over the wintertime . draw the smoke . Redefine efflorescence bed edges , using a flat - edge nigger or an abut tool such as the one shown at left .
Top apparel flower bed with one in of compost . The compost ameliorate the soil body structure and adds food and moisture - holding mental ability .
Assess your go forth plantings and key out perennials that postulate to be divided . Many perennials benefit from being separate about every three to five years . As a worldwide rule , part spring – flowering plant after they flower ; divide summer – flowering plants in late summertime or fall ; and separate fall – bloom plants in the outflow . And here ’s another bakshish : Hostas may be divided just as they come forth in early springtime . This minimizes damage to the leave-taking .
Test your territory . If it ’s been a while since you ’ve had your garden soil tested or if you ’ve never had a soil test done before , consider have one done now to limit the pH and to see what nutrients , if any , are deficient . For entropy on stain examination , check out the Virginia Cooperative Extension ’s ( VCE ) site , and look at Publication No . 452 - 129 , “ Soil Sampling for the Home Gardener,”Ext . VT.Pub . No . 452 - 129 .
end up any pruning choresthat you did n’t double-dyed in January or February . This job should be complete before plant break quiescency . For an expert guidebook to the general principle of pruning , reexamine our feature article from last calendar month , A Pruning Primer : Tools , Techniques and Timing , The Garden Shed .
Cut back to green woodany tree or bush twigs that were affected by winter kill . On small twig , itch the bark with your fingernail to determine whether it is live .
Prune crepe myrtles . For elaborated guidance on how to do this , review this month ’s article,“Pruning Crape Myrtles”before you start .
Prune shrub . If you ’re wondering if this is the right fourth dimension to dress a particular shrub , take a look at the helpfulShrub Pruning Calendarpublished by the Va. Cooperative Extension , Va. Coop . Ext . Pub . No . 430 - 462 , It will tell you , for example , thatMarch is a good sentence to prune beautyberry , boxwood , clethra , and roses , among others . And for detailed instructions onhow to prune shrubs , reviewVa . Coop . Ext . Pub . No . 430 - 459 .
I ’m pruning some of my boxwood this month for two reason : ( 1 ) to remove branch with equipment casualty caused byboxwood leafminers , and ( 2 ) to provide additional lighter and atmosphere to the inner portions of my older boxwood , which may aid them baulk the dreadedboxwood blight . Keep an oculus out for the bantam box leafminer fly , which has normally been seen buzzing around boxwoods in April , but I ’m going to set forth watching for it this month . For more about the boxwood leafminer and other insect pests of boxwoods , calculate atVa . Coop . Ext . Insect & Mite Pests of Boxwood .
Be certain tokeep an heart out for signs of Turkish boxwood blight . The Boxwood Image Gallery can help you to identify it , Va. Coop . Ext . Boxwood Image Gallery . Often it ’s difficult to tell what ’s wrong with a box . Here ’s a really helpful exposure scout : Comparison of Boxwood Blight to Other Boxwood Problems , Va. Coop . Ext .. The Va. Cooperative Extension has created many helpful videos about Turkish boxwood blight , includingWhat Is Boxwood Blight ? VideoandBoxwood Blight Symptoms Video .
Prune rosesto meliorate the wellness and structure of the flora . ensure your pruner are keen and unobjectionable . Prune cane to an outward - pointing bud and make eachcut at a 45 ° angle just slightly above the bud . Remove any light or untempting canes . thin any damaged Sir Henry Joseph Wood back about one column inch into healthy wood . Cut any dead canes down to the background grade . If any offshoot rub together , select the fitter of the two and remove the other one . If you are clip a grafted rose , jibe for lollipop below the graft union and remove them . Proper pruning facilitates practiced air circulation , also set aside more Dominicus into the middle of the plant , and results in a intelligent , more attractive plant .
When performing late wintertime or former spring pruning tasks , do n’t forget tocut back subshrubs . These perennial , mostly low - develop , shrubs have woody stems except for the fresh outgrowth ’s terminal part , which pall back annually . example of subshrubs include :
Now is a unspoilt time to plant bare root , abeyant rose wine . Soak the spare - etymon rose in a pail of piddle for at least eight or more hours to rehydrate the roots . Choose a sunny , well - drained location , compass the planting cakehole wide enough and deep enough to easily accommodate the roots and jell the plant life so that the graft union is at dirt level . Space rosiness far enough asunder to allow good air circulation . For more elaborated how - to instruction manual , review“The Ornamental Garden in March , ” Garden Shed 2016 .
foreshorten back ornamental grasses and liriopebefore new growth set forth .
Tackle gage
Your beds may havewinter annuals — broadleaf weeds like haired bittercress and mouse ear — which multiply by seed that usually bourgeon in fall , grows during the winter , and then produces flowers and seed in the spring . NOW — before those cum drop — is the metre to take root them out ; otherwise , you ’ll be seeing draw more of these weeds next year .
Right now I ’m seeing haired bittercress in some of my beds . This is the pestering little smoke whose midget white flowers form source capsule that burst forth in your face when you ’ve waited too long to draw them . In fact the source from those explode come capsule can fly up to 10 feet away ! For picture and helpful designation peak for these weeds , check out the Virginia Tech Weed ID site , VaTech / Weed ID/ hairy bittercressandVaTech / WeedID / clammy chickweed .
Do n’t Forget the Deer Repellent
Check out the Monthly Gardening Tipssection now located under Gardening Resources on the main varlet of the PMG web site : piedmontmastergardeners.org / Gardening Resources / Monthly Gardening Tips/#March . For additional detail , look up our former March issues ofThe Garden Shed :
Tasks&Tips / Ornamentals / March 2017
Tasks&Tips / Ornamentals / March2018
If your lawn needs attention , you ’ll find a detailed discourse of March lawn tasks and tips in our March 2015 issue , March Lawn Care / TheGardenShed / March2015 .
reference :
“ Boxwood Blight Alert,”The Garden Shed / Boxwood Blight Alert
PennStateExt / white - dock - deer - in - home - yield - plantings
