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March
Perennials, Annuals, and Bulbs
- The first flowers of Spring!
- Bluebells are superb for naturalizing in the same
manner as daffodils but prefer a shadier location and will
bloom even where they get no direct sun at all.
- Crocuses andgladioli are not true bulbs, but are corms.
The main difference between bulbs and corms is the method of
storing food. In corms, the food is stored in an enlarged basal
plate or stem. In bulbs, food is stored in meaty scales.
Corms are smaller and tend to be flatter than bulbs.
- To start new plants of the mother fern, Asplenium viviparum,
bend down the tip of a frond with plantlets and anchor the
tip to the soil with a U-shaped wire. When a plantlet has
rooted, it can be cut from the frond and transplanted.
- Accurate information on the longevity of flower seeds is
hard to find. Based on limited observations, the following
should be considered as short-life (one year) seeds: aster,
candytuft, columbine, ornamental onion, honesty, kochia, phlox,
salvia, strawflower and vinca. Some common, flower seeds viable
for more than one year if stored properly are alyssum, calendula,
centaurea, coreopsis, cosmos, marigold, nasturtium, nigella,
petunia, salpiglossis, scabiosa, schizanthus, sweet pea, verbena,
viola and zinnia.
- As tulip, narcissus and other large bulbs begin to emerge,
set pansy plants between them for added color.
- Impatiens, one of the best annuals for shady spots, start
blooming three months from seeding. Start seed indoors now, and
they'll be ready to set out after the last frost date for your
area. Pinch back seedlings once or twice before setting out to
promote compact, bushy plants.
- Celosia seeds are best started in individual containers
to avoid transplant shock. Do not set celosias out in cold weather
as the plants may become stunted and perform poorly.
- If weeds occur in bulb beds, do not remove them by cultivation.
Pull them by hand so the bulbs and roots will not be disturbed.
- Some annuals, such as verbenas, snapdragons and petunias, take
70 to 90 days to bloom. They should be started indoors in early
spring or purchased as greenhouse-grown transplants.
- This is the time to start resurrecting the water lily pool.
Drain and clean the pool before growth begins. Plant new, hardy
water lilies.
- Rejuvenate your liriope by using a lawn mower to cut back the
old foliage to a height of 2 to 3 inches. Avoid mowing too close
and damaging the crown of the plant since that is where the
new growth emerges.
- Divide and transplant summer- and fall-blooming perennials
(astilbe, aster, bleeding heart, coral bells, daylilies, phlox
and shasta daisies). Perennials perform best in well-drained soil
with plenty of humus. Astilbe, hosta and bleeding heart will
bloom in the shade.
- Hostas, liriope, daylilies, dicentra, Shasta daisies and coral
bells are some perennials that can be divided before growth
starts in spring.
- Buy some new perennials for your flower border. Spring is a
good time to renew and add variety to your landscape. Visit a
local garden center or secure catalogs from your favorite nursery.
- Cannas for early flowering can be started in boxes or large pots
in a warm cellar or enclosed porch. Cut canna rhizomes into pieces,
each containing two or three points or "eyes." Plant in a soil mixture
containing adequate sand for good drainage. The developing plants
are sensitive to cold and should be set in the garden about a week
after the average date of the last frost in your area.
- Don't forget to fertilize naturalized bulbs in the spring as
leaves emerge. Do not mow the area until the bulb foliage
begins to die back.
- Divide and transplant perennials, such as ajuga, Shasta daisy,
daylily, liriope and oxalis. Rework beds before planting, adding
organic matter and fertilizer.
- Many annual flowers are very frost hardy when plants are small,
including alyssum, California poppy, candytuft, larkspur, pansy,
viola, phlox, pinks, Shirley poppy, snapdragon, stock and sweet pea.
Seeds can be sown as soon as the soil has thawed.
- When the leaves of spring-flowering bulbs emerge, apply a
complete fertilizer to ensure quality blooms next year. Remove
the bulb foliage only after it dies naturally.
- When buying transplants, choose those plants with a compact,
bushy form and bright-green leaves. Young, healthy plants with no
flowers or flower buds will adapt more easily and overcome the shock
of planting much faster.
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We come from the earth, we return to the earth, and in between we garden.
--Author unknown
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