Ti
me to get busy in the garden! While February certainly felt like March by the temperatures, it’s now REALLY time to get busy digging in the dirt! There is still plenty of time to get winter chores completed and begin the exciting spring planting!
If you have not already done so, now it the time to cut back all the winter die back on your perennial plants. Many have already started to break bud with the warm temperatures we’ve had so just cut back to where you see the new growth springing forth. Ornamental grasses should be cut to the ground, as well as flowering native perennials such as lantana, blue mist and most salvias. Autumn Sage should be trimmed to about 1/3 of existing growth. And don’t forget roses! I have a few blooms on some of my rose bushes, but if you haven’t trimmed them back, get to it quickly. There is still time for them to put on a good growth spurt without losing too many blooms. Cut out weak or crowded growth and dead or damaged canes. Shape the plant by cutting a forth to a third of the vigorous canes. As new growth emerges, don’t forget to add a new layer of mulch! It will be like frosting on the cake in your landscape!
For the vegetable garden, hopefully you have prepared your beds with some addition of compost or other organic matter. Onions should already be in, but you may still get a decent crop if you get them in asap. Start a new perennial asparagus bed by planting crowns now. Just remember it takes a full 3 years to begin harvesting. Set out artichoke plants this month. March is the time to be direct seed beans, peas, greens, radishes, and beets. There is still time to get in a good crop of lettuce, too. Tomato transplants can go in the garden as well by mid-March but be prepared to protect them if we get a good cold snap – which we all know is a good possibility!
Consider starting an herb garden if you haven’t already! There is nothing like fresh herbs to go along with all the wonderful fresh veggies from the garden! Perennial herbs such as oregano, sage, thyme and Mexican mint marigold are great for beginners. As with most herbs, they will need good soil drainage and full sun. Cilantro and dill like the cooler temperatures so plant from seed now. Parsley and fennel are great additions as well.