Horticultural Hints for March!
Did you dig out your dahlias last fall?
Get them ready to plant this month. You can start planting summer flowers and bulbs—in pots! Get a head start on tender bulbs such as begonias, cannas, colacassia (elephant’s ear), dahlia (shown at left) and ranunculus. Started indoors in pots. they will be larger and bloom sooner when you put them outdoors after the weather has warmed sufficiently. Check the planting details for individual bulbs or corms, but most can be potted now in a lightweight, well drained potting mix. When the shoots appear, move them to a site where they get several hours of sunlight a day. As the temperatures increase, increase their sunlight exposure. 
Beware of ticks. The lack of snow and persistent above-freezing temperatures this winter mean disease-bearing ticks are active and looking for a blood meal. Spray your clothing with a DEET-type insecticide and always check you clothing and skin as soon as you come indoors from working outside.
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While taking care of outdoor chores, look around your yard looking for plants that have been heaved out of the ground by frost. If it is possible, push them back into the soil. If the soil is still frozen and you cannot replant, cover the roots with four or more inches of fresh soil or mulch. But, make certain you make a note to yourself to plant it properly when the weather allows!
When the soil in your yard is dry enough... not to leave footprints when walked on, collect the sticks, branches and debris from your lawn. Then, give it a good raking with a steel tined rake to remove dead grass, the dead leaves, and any other debris that has accumulated since the end of autumn
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Cut back dead plant material that you had left standing over the winter. Remove the old stalks and leaves so the new growth will have a clear path for growing, blooming and brightening your yard come spring.
Your carefully tended and well-groomed house plants could earn you a ribbon (or two) at the Boston Flower & Garden Show. Bring them into Seaport Trade Center after 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 8 to enter the amateur competition. There’s no fee for entering — or for the bragging rights you’ll earn. Full information on entering is at the bottom of the Amateur Horticulture section of https://masshort.org/garden-event/boston-flower-show-2020/.
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Martha's Vineyard Garden Club
PO Box 5061 Vineyard Haven MA 02568 Updated 12/5/2019 |