Stay on track with essential gardening activities for this month, including planting, pruning, lawn care, and seasonal maintenance tasks.

Plant

Sow spinach seeds, Plant asparagus roots.  Indoors, start herb seeds.

Mid-month plant and move roses, sow peas and radish seeds. Indoors, start seeds of warm season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant

At the end of the month, sow lettuce, cabbage, and kale seeds, plant/move/divide dormant perennials, including ornamental grasses.

Lawn Care

Apply pre-emergent weed control when forsythia is in bloom.  Apply post-emergent weed control as needed.

Fertilize

Boxwood and spring flowering bulbs.

Prune

Late February and March is a great time to trim trees. If the limb is larger than two inches in diameter or heavily weighted, use the three step method for removing the branches. Make the first cut on the underside of the limb about 6” away from the trunk, cutting about 1/3 of the way through the limb. On the top side, cut through the limb 3-6” beyond the first cut. Then come back and make the final cut to remove the remainder of the branch. Remember when pruning to remove dead or diseased branches first, and then take out any rubbing or crossed branches. Prune to maintain a natural form unless formality is appropriate for the design.

Prune evergreens for size and shape.  Remove dead wood from flowering shrubs. Cut back monkey grass, ornamental grasses, and ivy.  Late in the month, prune hybrid tea roses by reducing canes by 1/3 and cut out all crossed branches.  Climbing roses are pruned in May.

Other

Apply dormant oil spray if not done in January.  It must be applied before spring growth appears. These oils can also control scale insects on crapemyrtles, hollies, euonymus, and camellias. For best results, be sure to completely spray the entire plant, including the underside of the leaves.  Late in the month is a good clean up time.  Remove debris and fallen leaves from planting beds.

Learn

Attend Bartlett Gardening University Feb 7,14, and 28, 2:30 PM at the Bartlett Library, No registration required