Spring Officially Arrives March 20; Gardening Guide (by Nancy George)

North Florida Month-to-Month Gardening Guide March 2009  by Nancy George

Spring Has Sprung!

March 20 is the first day of Spring and Gene Ellis, Jr. Day, but as far as we gardeners are concerned Spring has arrived and we are ready to dig in!   March 15  is the official average last frost date.  Be sure to watch the evening news and anticipate the possibility of late frosts.  Once all danger has passed you can take your tender tropicals out from where you sheltered them.  To remove frost damage wait until new growth resumes then cut back to it, so as not to remove more than necessary.  Follow up with fertilizer and plenty of water to hasten new growth.

What to Buy / Plant

Plant trees, shrubs, vines, and ground covers.  Plant perennials in mid March, plant flower beds with Spring annuals such as alyssum, lobelia, geraniums, marigolds, nasturtium, holly hock, ageratum, foxglove, delphinium, gazania, gerber daisies, nemesia,and lamium.

Prune / Propagate

Deadhead annuals and perennials.  Allow floppy leaves from bulbs to go brown before cutting.  Tie them in a knot if you wish.  Prune camellias after bloom.  Pinch petunias when you plant them.

Fertilizing

Begin fertilizing trees, shrubs with 13–6-6, and flower beds with 3-9-6 slow release fertilizers.  Always look for fertilizers which contain natural ingredients and no fillers to protect our wetlands. Treat blue hydrangeas with aluminum sulfate to prevent them from turning pink.

Edibles

Plant Summer vegetables such as green beans, corn, zucchini, squash, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes.

Pests

Check sago palms for scale spray with insecticide if necessary.  Watch for signs of larval damage, treat with diatomaceous earth.

For Fun

Plant Summer bulbs such as dahlias, acidanthera, ornithogalum dubium, calla lillies, asiatic lillies, gloriosa lillies and pineapple lillies.  Continue to plant gladioli bulbs for continued bloom.  Plant butterfly larval plants such as parsley, dill fennel and milk weed.

Photo Gallery

Alyssum	Lobelia	Geraniums
Marigolds	Nasturtium	Holly Hock
Ageratum	Foxglove	Delphinium
Gazania	Gerber Daisies	Nemesia
Lamium	Dahlias	Acidanthera
Ornithogalum Dubium	Calla Lillies	Asiatic Lillies
Gloriosa Lillies	Pineapple Lillies	Gladioli
Parsley	Dill Fennel	Milk Weed

This article originally published on March 16, 2009.

Click here to discuss this topic in our Online Discussion Forums.

Per Wakulla.com policy, all reader comments (submitted below) must include a valid first and last name.

Click here to have the Wakulla.com Weekly E-Newsletter delivered directly to your inbox!

Written by :

mkwestmark

 

Comments (0)

You must be logged in to post a comment.